Phantom of the Water
by Dragon Ruler 06
Summary: All they did was bring in a rare albino tiger shark that was injured. Valerie didn't expect the surprises this predator keeps throwing her way. Now she is twisted up in a world she knows nothing about and is wondering just what she got herself into. Rated M to be on the safe side. Merman/Mermaid AU fic! Pic not mine...
1. The Shark Is In

**So I have jumped onto the Mermaid/Merman AU bandwagon. This story popped into my head randomly and I can't get it out. So here it is! Hope everyone can enjoy it as much as it is enjoying my mind.**

**Seriously, my mind is in shambles because of this thing. So here we go!**

**Disclaimer: No, I do not own any part of Danny Phantom.**

**Here the Story Starts**

A loud splash followed by a sprinkle of chlorinated water. A usual sound and touch at the Gray residence.

The young Valerie Gray loved the water. The weightless sensation of simply floating with no worries beyond breaching the surface for another gulp of air just to submerge once more. Ever since she was small, water has been her safe haven.

Some speculate her father, as well known marine biologist, encouraged her natural swimming ability and her love of water. Often, Damon Gray would take her with him on trips out to sea, making sure she stayed within the shark cage for her protection when underwater. She loves the various creatures that call the ocean 'home'; even reaching past the protective confines of her cage to pet sharks that swam by.

She was also one of the youngest people around that rallied others to help clean up the beaches and as much ocean as possible. Though once part of the popular crowd, her antics resulted in being booted from the table. Why? She never understood. Perhaps because she was expected to be as shallow and uncaring as them, but she couldn't be.

Not when she sees young sea turtles with plastic wrapped around their necks. Fish struggling to free themselves of trash that was simply thrown into the water. Dolphins, whales, and sharks getting tangled in fishermen nets that were abandoned. She couldn't see something like that and not care.

Her sweet sixteen was spent at the beach with a new group of friends, a trio usually considered the 'losers'. One being Sam Mason, a Goth, vegan girl that believed in everyone being unique. Often contradicting herself with actions or words, she is steadfast loyal to her friends, even confronting the popular kids in defense of the two boys.

Another is Tucker Foley, a fellow African-American technological geek with bad flirtations at the tip of his tongue. He is easily the brains of the trio but can't seem to function properly without his PDA. He's a nice enough guy, just tries to hard and thinks he is God's gift to the opposite gender.

The third is Danny Fenton, a shy boy that tries not to draw attention to himself more than what is already directed at him. He is a sweet boy, just in unfortunate circumstances. Not abused by his parents, but nearing neglect if he didn't have his older sister watching over him because his parents are hardcore cryptozoologists.

It started with just Valerie, then the three helped her clean the beach. Soon a group of people arrived. Without really trying or realizing it, Valerie had started her own organization to clean the beaches and oceans before she was seventeen.

Graduating from high school with one of the highest GPA scores earned her a spot in one of the best colleges around. Before she knew it, she was done with college, had a bachelor's degree (for now), and is interning at the facility her father is working for. It gives her a foot in the door of marine biology, allowing her to follow in her father's footsteps in order to carve her own path.

She plans on leaving one hell of a path for others to follow.

Her phone ringing drew her attention, even under the water in her twelve-feet-deep pool. The chime told her who is calling, bringing a smile to her lips as she pulled herself from the water, quickly wiping her hands on the towel nearby then her face before picking up the phone.

"Hi, Daddy!" she chimed happily, rubbing her soaked hair with the towel.

"Hey, honey," her father returned. "I know you aren't supposed to come in for another couple hours, but would you mind getting her as soon as you can? We have a bit of an odd case here."

"What is it?" Valerie inquired curiously, her dripping brows furrowing in confusion. It isn't often they get odd cases at the facility. Most of the time, it's something that ate what it wasn't supposed to, got badly tangled, or it's a new species they never encountered before.

"Just… it's some kind of shark, but not like any we've seen. It's hurt pretty badly, too. Just get here if you can. We could use an extra pair of hands."

"Let me take a quick shower then I'll be there," she promised with a sharp nod that her father couldn't see.

**Here is a line!**

The facility was one of the biggest building along the beach. Six large pools outside for larger creatures healing from their unfortunate encounters with humans. Two dozen smaller tanks inside for isolation. In the middle of the facility was a massive aquarium filled with fish and other sea creatures captured for study, some of them endangered species, often unable to handle life out in the open sea with a multitude of predators.

There was one massive pool outside that was separated from the ocean by a serious of gates, usually used to release large sea creatures without risking something else coming in. Each gate was spaced out enough for a great white to have some extra feet of space in order for one gate to close and the next to open.

Valerie expected to find the newly acquired shark to be in one of the outside pools. They don't often bring such a predator inside if only for containment problems being averted. Some sharks, given enough force, can break out of some of the smaller pools inside. Which was why Kwan, one of the nicer kids from the popular group who went into the same field of study as herself, directing her to one of the inside pools was a surprise.

Finding her father was easy. He was the only one without a lab coat yet still dressed as a professional. "I'm here," she announced as she came to his side, staring into the pool in front of them. "What do we have?"

"I've never seen anything like it," he confessed.

Her eyes darted to a bit of movement inside the water. The pool is one of the smaller ones, but it is also a wide one, only ten feet deep but roughly thirty feet wide. For some reason, she suspected the water this one was move in being added to the pool, the usually clear water was difficult to see through.

"What breed of shark?"

"Tiger, by the looks of it," he answered with a sigh. "But it's difficult to really tell. It's…"

Valerie's eyes widened when the shark suddenly surged towards them but stopped inches from the glass, seemingly glaring at them with dark red eyes that almost glowed in the water.

"Albino," she whispered, the hairs on her body standing on end as the creature continued its staring. Without moving. Like a shark should definitely not be. The shark snapped around, turning from them but also revealing the long gash from the bottom of its dorsal fin to the dip on its caudal, as well as the stripes labeling it as a tiger shark, only they were an odd turquoise color.

"And intelligent," her father added. "We had to move it from the transport into a pool before it ended up suffocating in limited space. Then we tried to net it to slow it down enough for a tranquilizer. It keeps dodging, both the nets and the darts."

"Have you tried hiding drugs in some food?" she asked as she started up the steps nearby, trying to get an overview of the shark pacing the pool. That was exactly what it was doing, too. It was going back and forth in the pool, not once bumping the glass like most do. Anyone it stared at, though, scrambled away. From her vantage point, she could see lumps of meat simply floating on top of the water, bobbing with each small wave the shark's fins made.

"Twice," Kwan answered this time. "We even chummed the water to try and coax it to eat."

"Then we threw in one without the drugs to see if it could tell the difference," Damon continued. "Ate that one right away."

"Very intelligent for a shark," Valerie muttered, crouching down as the shark drew closer to her. "Has a clasper, so male. About three meters long. Handsome fellow."

The shark stopped feet in front of her, eyes staring back up at her curiously as she looked him over.

"I wonder," she whispered, laying on her belly then slowly dipping a hand in the water.

"Valerie!" Damon cried out in shock, knowing that his daughter knew better than to do something like that. Especially with wounded predators!

"Easy," she said, keeping her voice low as the shark approached. "You're smart, I'll give you that. Bet you can understand me. We just want to help. Okay?" He stopped again, inches from her hand. "We just want to stitch you up and help you get better. We'll let you go when you're healed."

Strange as it was, she felt like the shark was staring her down from his angle, trying to judge if she was lying or not. The shark shook himself, bumping her hand before turning away. She could see that the injury that ended at the tail cut through the caudal fin. It will take a while for that to heal properly. The beast circled around one of the presumably drugged chunks of meat, his eyes seeming staring at it with distaste. Then it grabbed the meat and swallowed it, like a child would a bad pill.

"That's… different," Damon commented as Valerie came down from the stand over the pool. "I swear that thing understood you."

"He's a smart one, which may make him more dangerous than most," Valerie agreed with a nod. Her eyes stayed on the shark as it swam over to them, amazingly managing to roll its eyes as though to say 'There, happy now?'. Mouth agape, the young woman pointed to the shark. "Did you just see that?"

"See what?" Kwan asked looking to the shark curiously.

Huffing irritably, Valerie shook her head. "Never mind. Maybe I'm just seeing things." Though she swears the shark was smirking smugly. At least, it was before the drugs kicked in.

"Alright, everyone!" her father called out. "Let's get to work!"

**Here is a line!**

Treating sharks is difficult under normal circumstances. They have to be in water shallow enough for someone to stand in and harnessed down with water jets aimed towards the head to help bringing oxygen through the gills. This should have been a normal operation, but it wasn't.

Halfway through the cleansing of bad tissue, the shark woke and tried to snap its jaws at anyone near it. Too much tranquilizer could kill it, so they didn't want to risk drugging the beast again. Valerie jumped into the water beside it, earning a strong thrash of the body that almost made the shark curve enough for his head to grab her. So long as she stayed right by the dorsal, he couldn't touch her no matter how much he bent himself.

She injected a numbing agent into the injury that she knew burned, if the struggling was anything to go by. The shark only calmed down once the shot took effect, nixing any pain he was feeling, thus calming him down enough for the doctors to get back to work.

Only the shark wouldn't let them near.

When one was brave enough to get back in the water, the shark swatted them away with its tail. Valerie scolded the beast for the hit, earning another eye roll that no one else seemed to see. Stepping over the left pectoral fin, she hovered near the gills without putting pressure against them. Her father almost yanked her out, but the shark snapped towards him. Valerie hit the creature on the nose in retaliation, earning a twisting shake that reminded her of a dog shaking water from its fur.

Kwan was the one to jump in this time, mindful of the tail that almost hit him. Once sure he wasn't going to get hit, and once Valerie gave a nod of confirmation that she was in a relatively safe spot, he continued cleaning the wound. The whole time, Valerie spoke to the shark in a soothing voice.

Subjects were random. Just making noise as a distraction, mostly. The rest of the operation went smoothly, several stitches in place but not tight enough to restrict the beast's movements too much. As though testing how they felt, the shark swung his tail back and forth, flinching when the stitches did pull if he bent too much. Then, once again surprising the young woman beside him, the shark huffed in annoyance. She was sure it was annoyance.

"Let's get him back to the tank!" Damon ordered loudly, waving over the machine that would lift the shark from the treatment pool back to containment. If Valerie didn't know any better, she would swear the shark was pouting as it was lifted from the water and carried away, not struggling in the slightest.

When the beast was back in its own freshly cleaned pool, shaking itself once more, Valerie stood by her father to observe how well the shark could swim with the stitches. "He seems mindful about them," Valerie noted as the shark swam around carefully.

"What were you thinking?" her father demanded. "That thing could have bitten your arm off!"

"I bet I would taste disgusting," Valerie chuckled. "Sharks don't like the taste of human. Besides, did you have a better idea? We couldn't drug him even more. Overdose would have killed him!"

"Valerie, this shark is intelligent," Damon explained. "Anyone that has seen this thing for this long can tell. I don't want you getting reckless and getting hurt."

"Daddy, you don't need to… is he watching us?" she asked incredulously, staring at the shark that was staring right back at her.

"I think so," Damon answered, earning the shark's attention momentarily.

"I think he's too smart for his own good," Valerie commented, the shark snapping his attention back to her. Huffing, if the flex of gills was any indication, the shark then smirked and winked. Not with a third eyelid, either. A full, closed-eye wink. "He just winked!"

"Sharks can't wink," Damon told her.

"Daddy, I don't know what we have here, but I doubt he's a normal shark," the young woman firmly stated, crossing her arms.

They watched the creature as he circled his tank, almost disappearing when he was at the other side despite the clean and clear water.

"Phantom," Valerie suddenly announced.

"What?" Damon asked, looking down to his daughter.

"His name," she clarified. "Phantom."

**Here is a line!**

Due to the shark dubbed as 'Phantom', Valerie's hours had to change. The shark refused food from anyone but her. Tried to attack anyone on the decks above the pool except for her. All in all, it seemed like the shark hated everyone except for Valerie. So her hours, instead of taking the entire afternoon until ten at night, shifted from eight in the morning to eight at night, a full twelve hours.

To be honest, she was excited. Because of Phantom's behavior, she is the one left in charge of him. Medications, feeding, and observation. As an intern, she should not have this much power over a specimen, but they were left with no choice. So long as the head of the facility doesn't know, they should be relatively safe.

The first thing she did in the morning was stuff antibiotics and painkillers into a lump of meat and feed the impatient shark. As usual, he was twisting and splashing restlessly under the deck she always went to in order to feed him. First she threw in the chunk of medicated meat and sat on the deck, waiting for Phantom to eat. As usual, the shark regarded the meat with distaste, but eventually ate it anyway in order to get the meat without the drugs.

Once feeding was done, she circled the tank to try and see his surgical site. Always seeming to know what she was doing, he circled with her with his injured side facing the windows. Any signs of irritation after surgery have disappeared within a couple days. The injury looked to be healing nicely. No stitches have been pulled. And the shark wasn't displaying any signs of sickness or lethargy.

Observation lasted between meals for the beast. Most of the time, it was the two watching each other. The shark did many strange things that were unlike the rest of the species. She had seen him roll lazily in the water with a blank look in his red eyes, like he was bored and just doing something for the sake of doing it. Occasionally, he poked his fin out of the water with an arched back, keeping his caudal fin just under the surface.

When she wasn't around during the night hours, videos on the tank showed the shark simply swimming in circles before settling in the middle and not moving until she returned the next morning. The first night it happened, night shift thought the shark had died. But he didn't go belly-up like most dead fish do. Still, they had to check on him, and received a terrible fright when the shark surged in their direction. After that, he was left alone at night.

Out of curiosity mostly, Valerie took five large hula-hoops and replaced the beads inside with enough lead balls to keep one side anchored, allowing the hoop to float vertical. She then threw them into the water, watching the shark circle them and through them without any effort. Of course his movements caused the hoops to move around in the water as well, so he had a new pathway to pace through every time.

How he went through them was what amazed her. The caudal fin is longer than the opening of the hoops, and his pectorals should have caught on them several times. Yet Phantom manages to somehow tuck the fins in just enough for his body to squeeze through. Repeatedly. Unfortunately, the hoops only kept him entertained for an hour. Then he pushed them off to the side and ignored them. Anyone watching was baffled by that, Valerie being the only one to jot down the notes as he moved the hoops over to the edge of the pool for easier extraction. By letting his pectoral catch the hoops in order to move them.

Definitely not stupid and way above average shark intelligence. If anything, Phantom was easily as smart as a dolphin, if not smarter. Which was a scary thought, considering this shark was out in open water. The injury, though, was still a mystery to her. Several of the biologist theorized it was from a propeller getting him when he was too close to a boat. But the injury didn't match others that were caused by such an event. No, this was more of a slice, clean and deliberate.

Either someone was hunting this shark, or there is something else out there more dangerous than him.

After seeing how Phantom was with the hoops, Valerie tried different toys. All of which he only played with for an hour before dismissing them. Then he would watch her to see what she would do next, or what she would do to get the toys if they were floating. Jumping in was out of the question, no matter the animal. Often, she used a long pole with a hook at the end. He grabbed hold of that once, only returning it when she pointed out that his tank will fill up with toys or he just won't get new ones until she removes the old ones.

His odd habits and expressions happened frequently enough that Valerie started carrying a camera around to try and capture the moments. She has several videos of his lazy spinning, pictures and videos of him playing with the toys she brought, and other moments that his intelligence was expressed.

Sometimes, Kwan would watch the shark with her, the two theorizing why this one is so smart. Genetic mutation being a possibility, somehow linked to his unusual coloration. An experiment from some secret lab that grew smart enough to escape. Kwan told Valerie she was watching 'Deep Blue Sea' too much when she suggested that one. Radiation that was spilled into the water and he was nearby, which could also result in other specimens having the same level intelligence as Phantom. A scary thought, more sharks like Phantom are out there.

Phantom also seemed to show hostility towards anyone that spoke with Valerie when she was with the shark. After one incident when the shark tried jumping onto the deck to scare away one of the biologists asking about Phantom's medication for the morning, Valerie took the speaking with others on the ground by the tank. The shark mostly watched as closely as possible, glaring at anyone she was with.

After a few days developed enough paranoid workers, metal panels were put in places around the tank to block some of the shark's view of the outside. Still, Phantom manages to find a spot where he could see Valerie and watch her.

Everyone came to an agreement about Phantom. He is highly intelligent for his species and he scares the hell out of everyone but Valerie. And he also seems to have a weird crush on the young woman.

**Here the Chapter Ends**

**Let me know what you guys think. I know I said it is a merman/mermaid fic, and it is. You'll see later on. Trust me. Working up to it**


	2. What are you?

**So I just keep on writing. Hopefully this one won't end up like my others, lost in the abyss of my mind and incomplete. Still trying on my HP/OP crossovers, but nothing is working with me. Doing this mostly to get the mojo flowing again. Wish me luck!**

**Disclaimer: No money is being made in the creation of this fic because I do not own Danny Phantom.**

**Here the Chapter Starts**

It was a surprise, as it usually is when the CEO visits the facility. Valerie had just barely managed to get the toys out of the tank and get down from the deck before her father enters the area with a tall, smartly dressed man wearing a dark suit and slicked-back white hair. Not from age, but from a trauma he suffered through during his college years. No one knows what it was, and no one was brave enough to ask.

Vlad Masters became a billionaire at a young age and seemed quite interested in the world of marine biology. He would go out on some trips to see how the biologists handled the expensive equipment and the things they found intrigued him sometimes. He is a curious and adventurous man hardly in mid-life. It wasn't just this facility he owns and leads, either, but ten others like it in the USA at different areas along the west and east coasts. As well as quite a few on other continents.

"This one came in about a week ago," Damon was explaining as they approached the tank. "A male tiger shark, albino but with unusual coloring. He also exhibits signs of high intelligence."

"Is that so?" Vlad inquired with a quirked brow. "An example?"

"He paces the tank every day without bumping the glass, can avoid any nets, and he was able to tell the difference between food with his medicine in it from food without," the biologist informed as they climbed the deck. It allowed them a view over the tank where Phantom was angrily swimming around to spy Valerie between the metal blocks. Just to calm him down, Valerie stood in front of glass, the shark hovering in the water near her.

"Is that usual behavior?" the billionaire asked.

"For sharks in general, not at all," Damon replied with a shake of his head. "Valerie, could you come here for a moment?"

Patting the glass lightly, Valerie made her way up to the deck, Phantom following her as she walked around the tank. "Hi, Mister Masters," she greeted with a polite smile and nod of her head.

"Good afternoon, Miss Grey," he returned with a smile. "I see you have a new friend."

"Yeah, he's pretty attached," Valerie acknowledged, eyes darting to the shark that was glaring directly at Vlad Masters. The man hardly seemed affected by it, though.

"Valerie has named the shark 'Phantom'," Damon offered, glancing to the tiger shark nervously. The beast always has that look on his face right before he lunges. "So far, she is the only one he tolerates. Whenever we do anything with him, she has to be nearby to help keep him calm."

"Interesting," Vlad commented, looking down at the shark that was inching backwards. His brow jumped up in a silent challenge to the beast, one answered with a flash of sharp teeth snapping in the water. "One of my employees here said something about you throwing possible contaminants into the pool with this specimen."

Valerie chewed on her lip, wringing her hands nervously. "Mister Masters, let me explain!" she pleaded. "He's intelligent! Like, probably smarter than a dolphin and definitely smarter than your average shark! He gets bored and I bring toys for him to play with. It also gives us a chance to see what he does with them. I have videos and pictures of his behavior with the things I give him. And I swear, it is all sterilized and risk no chance of causing him sickness!"

He held up his hand to silently order her silence. Quickly, Valerie tucked her lips between her teeth to quiet herself. "Let me assure you, Miss Grey," he started. "The specimen's intelligence is not in questions here. What is in question is why an intern such as yourself, with as much experience as you have, would make such a foolish decision. What if he were to eat one of those toys and it gets stuck in his digestive track? Or you did not decontaminate an item properly and he does get sick? This is a serious matter, Miss Grey."

Shamed, Valerie bowed her head. "Yes, sir," she accepted, clenched hands at her abdomen. She failed to see Phantom rushing forth.

"I would, ho-," Vlad started but was cut off when the deck suddenly trembled, throwing everyone off balance. Damon fell to his knees and Vlad grabbed a nearby rail, but Valerie stumbled sideways…

…falling into the water.

"Valerie!" Damon cried out as the shark in the pool swam a small circle to aim at the deck again.

Valerie broke the water surface with a loud gasp of air, coughing up water she accidentally inhaled when she fell in. Wiping the water from her face to clear her vision, she noted that she fell a few feet from the deck.

"Valerie, swim!" her father demanded, laying down and reaching out a hand for her to grasp. His wide eyes were full of fear and his face pale as he stared in her direction.

Gulping, she turned back to see Phantom inches from her, his nose almost bumping her chest as he floated in place. Slowly to avoid making any splashes, she lifted her hands and calmly placed them close to the shark's head. "Hey, Phantom," she whispered weakly, her voice catching in her throat as fear clutched her tightly. "Easy… You won't like how I taste. No shark likes human."

A slow swipe of his tail pushed the shark forward, his nose shove into her chest and pushing her back, causing her hands to land on his head. The contact left a shock in her body, and (for some reason) a voice in her head.

'_You're not the one I was aiming for._'

Nudging his head forth pushed the woman further away from him, the shark slowly inching forward to push again as Damon's hand splashed the water in an effort to grab his daughter. Phantom dove down and went under the human before rising back up to lift her high enough for her father to grasp her arm and pull her out of the water as quickly as he could.

Hands on her face, a voice drifting into her ears asking if she was alright. But her eyes were trained on the shark swimming to the other side of the pool, watching them from as far as he could get. Red eyes connected with her own teal orbs, an apology dancing in them for her before hate filled them as they drifted to Vlad Masters.

"Valerie!"

Her father's voice finally snapped her out of her shock, her head snapping towards him as she breathed heavily and quickly, bordering hyperventilating.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

She shook her head. "He pushed me out," she informed lowly, her voice no more than a shocked whisper. "Phantom pushed me out."

"You're quite lucky he didn't take a bite out of you," Vlad told her as Damon helped Valerie to her feet, the trio walking down the steps and onto stable ground. "I recommend taking your daughter to be looked over. Just in case."

Hands on her shoulders directed her, though her gaze remained locked with red as Phantom swam closer to watch her be led away. She missed the flash in Vlad's eyes and his smirk to the shark.

**Here is a line!**

Their facility can be hazardous to work in, especially when handling dangerous creatures like rays and sharks. If one knows what they are doing, they are safe from harm. However, injuries do happen, so a medical official is always at the facility in case of injuries needing tending immediately. The one that looked over Valerie was surprised to find nothing wrong with the young intern, not even chafing from contact with shark skin.

Valerie wanted to go back to the tank, to see if the voice was her imagination or if it was something else. Thinking either way, it was crazy to even herself. Was it a moment of insanity with a potentially deadly situation? Or was it something else? Damon, however, was adamant about sending her home, driving her himself and promising to pick her up in the morning and she can drive her car back home tomorrow.

Her mind was in a rush, though. Such a simple statement with one meaning behind it, tons of unanswered questions, and way too much free time on her hands. The first thing she did was tackle the internet, searching for anything that could mention a random voice in her head. Most directed towards types of mental illnesses, but there was also telepathy.

She searched for telepathy and sharks, but found nothing. Intelligent behavior of sharks, but little was found. Within a couple hours, her search yielded no results other than her being potentially crazy.

With a sigh, she pulled out her phone and drifted through her call list. Briefly, she wanted to call her father to see how Phantom was doing with her leaving, if he was behaving well enough for others to give him his medicine tonight. But then she saw another name right under her father's. 'Danny Fenton'.

"What the hell do I have to lose?" she asked herself, hitting the green phone button and bringing it to her ears.

It rang twice before being answered. "Hello?"

"Hey, Danny," Valerie greeted with a small smile. "Can you talk for a bit?"

"Yeah," he answered. "It's my day off, so I can talk. How's the marine world doing?"

"Probably as well as space," she answered.

"I'll get up there soon enough," he rebutted playfully. "They actually said I'm one of their better technicians. But I need more physical training. You?"

"Well, weird thing, really," she started, explaining the albino tiger shark with the huge wound. She mentioned how it behaved with her and what she had been doing with it to test Phantom's intelligence. Then she got to the part of what happened only hours before. "It was really weird. When I touched him, there was this… shock, or something. And a voice. Saying that he wasn't aiming for me." She sighed heavily, hand on her forehead. "I don't know what to think."

Danny sighed lowly. "You haven't moved, right?" he asked.

"No, I haven't," she answered in confusion.

"I'll see if I can snag some research from my parents," he explained. "It kind of mentions things like what you said is going on with Phantom. I can't explain it all over the phone, but I'll try to get some of it and send it to you. Just… if my parents are right… if they're not as crazy as everybody makes them out to be… Val, you need to be careful."

"Why?" she asked, trying to press for some kind of answer.

"A highly intelligent shark and a voice in your head? Only one thing is coming to mind, Val, and it isn't good."

"Tell me, Danny. I'm going crazy here!"

"Alright, alright. Just… don't immediately brush it off."

Inhaling deeply, Valerie nodded. "Okay."

"So only five percent of the ocean has really been explored, right?"

"Yeah."

"Which leaves the other ninety-five percent full of mystery. Columbus said that he saw mermaids, but everyone brushes them off as manatees. What if he didn't see manatees, but real mermaids? My parents hunt all kinds of weird things and have tons of research about nearly every mythical and supernatural creature possible. Mermaids have stayed hidden, even though bodies sometimes pop up."

"Yeah, a lot of people brush them off as fakes because of DNA testing or because they all look so different from others that are found."

"Exactly. But my parents have a theory. Mermaids are real, but they hide in plain sight by hiding as ordinary sea creatures. They could be hiding as dolphins, squids, octopuses, or even… sharks."

"How?" Valerie asked incredulously as she sat on her couch, almost dropping into it.

"They change shape, but they can't change everything. So weird colors are a usual sign of one, according to their research. And Mom thinks that they may be telepathic in order to communicate when they are hiding as animals."

She shook her head. "You know how crazy that sounds?!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know," Danny defended. "But after everything you said about your shark, it's the only thing that I could think of. Trust me, I've been around it my whole childhood. Look, I'll send you their research, or copies at least." He sighed heavily. "If he is, you need to be careful. Especially if he's set his sights on you."

"Okay. Okay, thanks, Danny. Really." She gave a weak chuckle as her body trembled. "Even if it sounds crazy, it's a better answer than nothing."

"I hope it is all just crazy and you just have a really interesting shark," Danny returned with a nervous chuckle.

"Same." A beep caused her to pull her phone away, seeing that she was receiving a call from her father. "Hey, Danny, my dad's calling. I gotta let you go."

"Okay. Hope to talk to you soon!"

"Same. Bye!" She quickly hung up on Danny and answered her father. "Daddy? Everything okay?"

"Something's wrong with Phantom! I'm on my way to get you!"

**Here is a line!**

The scene was nearly chaos. Phantom was raging about the pool, throwing water everywhere and not staying still long enough for anyone to get a shot at him for a tranquilizer. The shark was charging the glass panels that weren't blocked with metal, one with a splinter of a crack in it.

Without really thinking, Valerie ran onto her usual deck and dove into the water.

"Valerie! No!"

Voices calling to her, demanding she get out of the water were muffled as she watched Phantom charge into the window again. The crack grew bigger, the glass weakening. Kicking her feet, she swam to the shark as he started his circle to ram again. Somehow, she was able to get in front of the glass before he could hit it again.

The shark jerked to the side to avoid hitting her, angrily throwing more water out with a powerful swing of his tail. She could see stitches breaking and his half-healed wound opening again. Blood was leaking out, leaving a trail of angry red that faded to mix in with the water.

Swimming upwards for a deep breath, she yelled out as the shark headed her way again, "Phantom, enough!" The shark ignored her, dodging her kicking feet to hit the glass again. Before he could pull away, she dove back down to grasp his dorsal fin in an attempt to redirect him before he could harm himself more or break the window.

There was a vast difference between swimming with playful dolphins and swimming with an angry shark. Both are fast, but dolphins always seem to enjoy themselves. An angry shark? Nothing but a surge of rushing water trying to shove her off as he attempted to hit the glass again.

'_He was here! He was here! He was right there!_'

The voice, so full of anger and hate, stunned her into losing her grip, the shark ramming the glass once more. She went to the surface for another breath then dove back down and grabbed the caudal fin as Phantom swam around her.

'_So close! So damn close! He was right fucking there!_"

She tried to hit the side without the injury to get the shark's attention, ignoring the voice that was nearly roaring in her head.

Phantom might as well be made of steel with how tense his body is, bracing himself for the next strike. The contact threw Valerie off, though, resulting in the momentum of his movements to throw her into a nearby glass panel hard enough for her to gasp and choke. The sound seemed to have pulled the shark out of his rage as his attention focused on Valerie.

Within seconds, the shark was pushing her up to the surface, her body forcing fluid from lungs for the second time that day as she coughed and hacked on the shark currently supporting her. Gasping deeply for breath, she patted Phantom's head, close to where a wound has developed from his assault on the glass.

'_No! I didn't mean to hurt you. Not you, Valerie. Not you_.'

"Hey, easy there, big guy," she reassured, her voice rough from the coughing. "Look at you. You banged yourself up pretty bad." Laying her forehead on the beast, she panted out, "You going to behave so we can fix you back up again?"

It was soft. A brief voice. A whisper.

'…_Yes_…'

Stunned onlookers could only watch as the raging beast settled as Valerie rubbed his head, speaking gently to him as she looked over the shark to assess any other damage he may have done himself. "Let's get him out of here! His wound opened up again and we need to move him to a new pool!"

Valerie's voice snapped everyone out of their stupor as they scrambled to get the necessary equipment, someone aiming a dart gun towards the shark for a tranquilizer. Valerie waved him off, not knowing what the sedative could do to the shark while he was still quite agitated. He may be still now, but she can feel how tense he still is.

Once Phantom was secure and being taken over to the medical area, Valerie got out of the pool and was wrapped in the strong arms of her father. "Don't do that again!" he demanded. "You scared the hell out of me!"

"I don't think he wants to hurt me," she assured, placing her wet head on Damon's shoulder. "I don't know what's going on, but… Daddy, there is way more to that shark than we think."

Damon sighed heavily, giving his daughter one final squeeze before letting her go. "You need to get dressed in something dry before you catch a cold," he said gently.

Valerie shook her head. "I need to stay with Phantom until he's situated in a new pool. He may get angry again."

**Here is a line!**

Instead of another inside pool, Phantom was put in one of the large pools outside. The outside pools were meant for larger specimens, after all. He should have been in one originally instead of a tank meant for sea turtles.

Now the shark had the same thirty feet width and twenty feet depth to play with. But the shark only floated near the top, watching Valerie as she leaned on the rail surrounding the pool. This pool had only one deck, unlike the inside pools that had four. The rest of the pool's perimeter was railing that reached up to Valerie's stomach, designed to keep people from accidentally falling in.

"What are you?" she whispered towards the shark.

Phantom twisting his upper half like he was trying to cock his head.

"I'm going crazy or something," she sighed, shaking her head the scratching her still wet scalp. Once the shark was in his new tank, she changed clothes into a set of scrubs, but kept a towel around her shoulders for her still wet hair. "But I swear, you are not a typical shark."

The shark swam closer, angling himself so that his nose to his eyes emerged from the water to look up at her. His eyes looked bored, even rolling again like he thought she was stating the obvious.

Looking around and spotting no one, she ducked under the railing and reached out a hand, placing it on his nose. The shock was half expected. "Just tell me if I'm going crazy and hearing a weird voice in my head for no reason," she pleaded.

He seemed to snort. '_There is too much in the world you humans are never ready to understand._"

She gasped, yanking back and falling to her butt. "Okay… I didn't imagine that!" Shaking her head firmly and her expression setting to determined, she pushed herself back up hand put her hand back on the shark. "So, mind telling me what you are exactly?"

Chuckles echoed in her head, deep and amused. '_Why ruin the fun?_' The damn shark winked before swimming away.

Huffing, Valerie got stood back at full height. "I am going to figure you out one way or another."

**Here the Chapter Ends**

**I don't really know how to explain what went on here, or why. It just came out like this. The original scenario in my head with the 'something is wrong with the shark' was Phantom being sick all of a sudden or something. But that came out. And Valerie is getting suspicious of him.**

**Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed it. Let me know what you think! ^^**

**For the record, never been in a marine biology facility, so I have no clue how they function or how they are set up. This is just how this one is in my head.**


	3. Deal with a Demon

**Okay. Going again. Hope everyone is still enjoying the story so far, and I hope you will enjoy this chapter.**

**Shall Phantom reveal himself this chapter? Or will it be another chapter? No clue! I just write.**

**Disclaimer: Nope. Don't own Danny Phantom.**

**Here the Chapter Starts**

Danny must have contacted his parents' right after the phone call and expedited the information he promised in the mail. Two mornings after the call, Valerie received a thick brown envelope with the familiar scrawl he tried to pass off as handwriting. Tucking it under her arm, she climbed into her car and headed to the facility, occasionally glancing at it sitting innocently on her passenger seat.

Once parked, she stuffed it into her bag that was filled with paperwork, the camera, and a couple toys she managed to shove into it for the shark. She was curious what he would do with something that sinks and he can't simply push it around with his nose, so these are heavier than usual. The bright colors of the toys would help her see them in the water easier and they are big enough that the shark can't just swallow one without meaning to.

She grabbed his breakfast on the way to his pool, stuffing the medicine in it before he could see her. A small part of her believed that he knew which meat had medicine because he could see it being hidden, so tried to add it without him seeing her. Nope, he still knew, and acted like a child with his meds.

Removing her shoes and dipping her feet into the water, she pulled out the toys then threw them in. Phantom followed the objects with his eyes, watching them sink before regarding Valerie with a look that just screamed 'Really?'.

Not paying the shark any mind, she opened the envelope and pulled out the papers inside. They were copies instead of the originals, probably the Fenton couple not wanting to potentially lose valuable research permanently but willing to hand over something because they know Valerie. She and Danny did have a thing during senior year, though it didn't last long. Different goals that would only pull them further apart.

Some of the papers were actually pictures of various creatures, notes made on the pictures to point out oddities the couple had found. Dead sea creatures were among the pictures, some dissected by the couple to reveal innards that looked normal but were arranged wrong. Or the creatures had something they shouldn't. Some were out in the wild, the usual note on those pictures being along the lines of losing their specimen again.

"Hey, this kind of looks like you," she commented, showing Phantom the picture of a white shark with turquoise stripes. It was taken from a distance, but she could see the shark in the picture was not amused by the presence of a camera. "You know, if you weren't all banged up."

Phantom dove down, probably ignoring her.

"Be that way," she mused as she started reading over the notes. She jumped with a shrieking yelp when a loud sound came from her right, one of the heavy toys having been thrown onto the deck by her. Her jaw dropped, she looked to the amused shark. "How did you do that?!"

He went back down, Valerie leaning over the edge of the deck to see what the shark was doing. Though deeper, the water was still clear enough that she could somewhat make out Phantom gliding on the bottom towards the second toy, head jerking down just long enough to grab it. Then he surged back up and broke through the water with a backward jerk of his head, throwing the second toy to land near the first.

Leaning back, she huffed in amazement before feeling cold skin against her feet.

'_Don't expect me to keep doing this for your amusement_.'

"Then why do you keep doing it?" she shot back with a smirk.

'_Your reactions are amusing to me._'

He turned and swam away, dorsal and upper caudal poking out of the water as he started to circle the tank lazily. Probably bored again.

Skeptical as she was about the shark having telepathic abilities, they were happening often enough that they don't even bother her much anymore. She is either going crazy and imagining it all, or the shark is way more than he appears. And just from the nearly two weeks of observation, she knows he isn't ordinary.

Eyes went back to the research of two renowned cryptozoologist that everyone calls crazy. A lot of the pictures were of various creatures, and those creatures did have odd coloring to them. There was a Commerson's Dolphin with the usual black head and tail, but where the marks were to be white, they were teal instead. A green octopus with a white crown and red eyes. The shark she suspects is Phantom out in the wild. A shark that looks like a bull shark but was black and green.

The notes were obvious by Maddie's hand. They were too neat and orderly, which Jack Fenton never has been able to achieve.

The Commerson's Dolphin. 'Another specimen managed to escape us. We have to try something they won't expect. These are much smarter than an average animal.'

Phantom. 'This shark again. We know he's one of them, but he always manages to avoid our attempts at capture. He also sank our vessel today. Had to get back to land in a life raft.'

The bull shark. 'Obviously has strong hunting instincts. Smarter than a typical Bull, but not as smart as that other one. Still manages to elude capture.'

The octopus. 'Seems to be fascinated with our machinery. But also seems to know why we want it and escapes before we can grab it.'

"Hey, Phantom," she called out, the shark coming over to her at his own leisurely pace. "Are there more like you out there?" She showed him one of the photos taken, the dolphin. To her surprise, the shark nodded, though his build meant his whole upper body was basically bouncing up and down. "Is this one like you?" Red eyes rolled and the shark swam away. "Well obviously it's a different species!" she called out in frustration.

She looked back over the pages of notes, reading about the observations Jack and Maddie Fenton documented. How some of the oddly colored creatures were seen close together, behaviors suggested communication. The couple theorized telepathy since no microphone in their possession ever picked up on sounds, not even from the dolphin, which is usually a very vocal species.

There was one page that supported their theory of shapeshifting. It was of a beautiful painted moray with a black back fading to the blue body, blending into the green face. One picture was of the eel itself and the next was of a young woman with green skin, black hair, and a blue eel tail, peering at them from around a rock jutting out of the water.

"Wow," she whispered in awe, her eyes staring at the beautiful creature hiding behind wet stone. The picture was blurry at best, but she could still make the creature out. Any small details about her were lost, however, from the angle.

Thankfully, the 'mermaid' managed to escape from the Fenton couple. After seeing the pictures of dissections, her mind drifted to potentially inhumane deaths. Hopefully Danny learned some decent lying skills after school, or she may have a struggle should his parents find out about her shark. Especially if they have been hunting him for a while.

"You know, the longer I look at all this, the more I think you're safer in here," she commented, earning a harsh bump to her feet. "So if you really can talk to me telepathically, mind explaining what happened to you earlier?"

Phantom stared up at her with a cold gaze that made her body shiver in fear, her feet withdrawing from the water on instinct alone. Then he turned and swam to the bottom of the pool at the other side, floating in one spot with his eyes to the wall.

"Okay then," she shakily sighed.

Then her lips formed into a thoughtful pout as a hum escape her. Throwing the toys back in, she got to her feet and headed back inside. Two loud reverberating bangs before she was through the door told her that Phantom had already removed them. Heading towards the locker room, she stuffed the papers back in the envelope then back into her bag.

"Valerie?" a coworker called to her. "What are you doing?"

"I have to check Phantom's injuries, and I can't do that like I used to with him in his current enclosure," she explained as she pulled a wetsuit out of her locker.

"Is that a good idea?" the woman asked worriedly.

"He's had every chance possible to hurt me and hasn't taken one," she returned with a reassuring smile. "I'll be fine. I know how to swim without pissing off a shark."

**Here is a line!**

Sharks are known to react to the scent of blood in the water and loud splashes. Smell and sound. Not knowing if jumping in would trigger basic instincts with Phantom, Valerie eased herself into the water once her flippers were secure on her feet and her oxygen mask on her face. Phantom watched her as he swam around, his pectoral fins brushing her as he passed, which fin depending on his direction.

Reaching out a hand, she gently grasped the dorsal and pulled herself closer to the beast, pulling herself over him since his injured side was facing away from her. Gently, her hand ran along the injury, checking the new stitches and examining how closed the wound is. If the healing keeps up like this, they should be able to remove the stitches by the end of the week and release Phantom back into the wild by the end of next week. The extra week was usually to make sure any specimens being released back into the wild aren't showing negative signs once treatment is done.

Satisfied with a nod of her head, she looked to the shark's forehead where he had been slamming himself against the glass just a couple days ago. No stitches were needed, and the tissue around it still looked red and irritated. But with antibiotics already in his system, and getting fresh doses every day, he shouldn't develop any infection.

The shark suddenly lurched under her, causing her grip to fumble in order to grasp his dorsal fin tighter. Then he started swimming down, bringing Valerie along with him. Once at the floor, he circled the bottom until Valerie let him go. He sharply turned back to her before drifting back up at an angle, doing his circle in the reverse direction.

A gathering of bubbles escape her mask as she watched the shark curiously before he swam back down to hover in front of her and repeating his previous action. Deciding there was no harm in playing along, she swam with him, staying under his belly until he bent down to push her in the opposite direction. Unsure why he wasn't just telling her like he usually does, probably because all of her skin is covered with the suit, she moved as he instructed.

It was an interesting slow dance between them, Phantom rolling as he ascended, and Valerie, thinking it funny, copied him. This seemed to please the tiger shark until they were close to the surface, then Phantom angled downwards, still moving in his circle. She followed, still going her own direction and unaware of the eyes watching them from above.

Back at the bottom, Phantom turned sharp enough to put himself between the wall and Valerie, seeming to guide her around the pool. Once again, they went close to the surface than back down, the young woman somehow managing to stay at the same speed as the predator swimming next to her. Phantom decided when enough was enough, his signal being that he left her side and pushing his nose against her stomach.

Patting his jaw, Valerie started swimming for the surface again, the shark following her this time. When she broke the water, he suddenly darted back down. Confused, Valerie looked around then froze when she spotted Vlad Masters standing on the deck with an amused smirk.

"Quite the dance you two were having," he commented. "I didn't know sharks could dance."

"I didn't either," she returned, swimming back to the deck and pulling herself up. Quickly removing her flippers, she stood at full height with her hands behind her back, fingers twisting and squeezing each other anxiously. "Mister Masters, I know I just broke probably a dozen rules doing that. But-!"

He shook his head. "Do not worry, dear girl," he reassured, patting her shoulder. "After seeing what I did a few days ago, it is only logical that you should have free reign over this shark. It seems that you are the only one who can keep him under control."

Blue eyes blinked in confusion. "Really?"

"Truly," he promised with a nod. "However, there is a slight condition."

"Yes, sir."

"If you want to remain in charge of this shark, then he will have to stay here until our studies on him can be concluded."

"But… but I told him that he's free once we're sure he's completely healed," she tried to object.

"A specimen like this tiger shark is far too valuable and rare to simply heal and release," Vlad pointed out. "If his intelligence shows the capability of what sharks could be like in the future, it is only logical that we start studies now. In order to prepare us for the inevitable, of course. Besides, how can you promise an animal something like that and expect it to understand you?"

"He understands," she swore, looking over to her shoulder to see Phantom baring sharp fangs towards Vlad, his form tense like he was debating if he should charge or not. Why doesn't he like the man? Granted Phantom doesn't like anyone beyond her, but he seems to downright hate Masters. "He knows." She sighed, turning back. "What if I refused to hold him?"

"Then you will be removed from this facility, banned from any others, any dreams you have of being a marine biologist will be destroyed, and someone else who won't question my authority will be put in charge of him. Of course that could result in several people being badly injured, possibly killed, by your shark. Then he would have to be euthanized and dissected for further study."

Her body froze as he went on. Being a marine biologist like her father has always been her dream. To try and make a difference in the world, to understand the ocean and its inhabitants. To help them and humanity live in peace.

The deck shook with a light bump from Phantom, causing Valerie to turn back to him. Much as he was glaring at Vlad, he nodded his own acceptance of the terms. Due to her attention on the shark, Valerie missed Vlad's own smug smirk in return.

Valerie chewed on her lip, tears threatening to spill as she weighed pros and cons. Then Phantom locked gazes with her and nodded again. "Okay," she accepted with a shaky sigh and nod of her head. "I don't like holding him like this, but… I accept."

"Excellent!" Vlad proclaimed with a clap of his hands. "I'm glad you could see things my way." He started to walk off the deck but paused on the steps and threw over his shoulder, "Oh, congratulations on your promotion! We'll fill out any necessary paperwork at lunch. My treat."

Once he was gone, Valerie removed one of her gloves and knelt down on the deck, placing the bare hand on the shark's snout. "I hope you know what you're getting into."

'_Trust me, I know._ _And he won't suspect a thing._'

**Here is a line!**

Valerie was sick. Her head was stuffed. Her nose running like a waterfall. Her eyes red and puffy. Her body aching and weak. And she felt like she was going to throw up.

But she still pulled herself out of bed and still drove herself to work. It's only day five of her new position and she refuses to call in a sick day so soon. Besides, if she called in sick, Phantom would not be properly taken care of because everyone is terrified of the shark.

She should have known better than to think she could hide her sickness from the likes of her father. Damon was by her side the second he saw her.

"Valerie, you should be at home getting some rest," he pointed out upon noting her terrible appearance. "You're so pale."

"I'm fine, Daddy," she reassured. "Gotta take care of Phantom."

"Let someone else take care of him. You need to take care of yourself," he firmly stated, trying to guide her back out the door and probably to his car.

"Really, I'm fine," she weakly protesting. "You know he won't let anyone else near him. Just let me feed him and I'll sit on the deck. No overworking myself, I promise."

"No! You need to go back home and take some medicine, get some rest and drink plenty of fluids. You're sick, honey! The shark can handle someone new for a day."

"You know he won't," she rebutted, slipping from her father's grip and marching towards the door that would take her to the shark's pool. A misplaced foot caused her to stumble briefly, but it was enough time for her father to catch her again and steady her. "Just… Just let me… let me tell him…"

"I'm taking you home," he informed sternly before calling out for someone else to handle Phantom. There was no scramble for volunteers, everyone looking to each other in fear. At this point, everyone knew the shark tolerated no one but Valerie.

Seeing this, Valerie stood her ground. "Daddy, no one here will take care of him because they're scared of him!" she pointed out sharply. "Just let me feed him and tell him that I won't be able to stay the day. Then you can take me home."

Sighing in defeat, Damon nodded, supporting his daughter outside and to the pool where Phantom was impatiently swimming, clearly agitated. As shown by the harsh splashes that shoved water from the pool and onto the concrete. Perhaps it is a better idea to let her explain.

Sitting on the deck, Valerie reached down and dipped her hand in the water, waiting for the shark to come to her. It was almost like Phantom couldn't get to her fast enough.

'_You look like shit_.'

"I'm sick," she explained, ignoring the comment. "So I have to go home and rest. You have to be good today for whoever takes care of you. Deal?"

'_Real fish or no deal._'

Chuckling, she pulled out of her bag a large plastic ziplock that was straining to hold the fish inside. "Want some trout?"

Phantom backed up (which normal sharks can't do) and waited for her to pour the dead fish into the water, snatching them without a care. He is healed and no longer requires medication, so he could eat without worrying about being drugged. Once the last was eaten, he returned to the deck and nodded his agreement.

"I swear, this thing is weird," Damon commented, helping Valerie back up and leading her from the tank.

"Not weird," she debated gently, smiling over her shoulder to the shark. "Just different,"

Secure in her father's car, she was driven home. She wasn't quite sure when she drifted off to sleep, or when they reached her house. Didn't react when her father picked her up out of the car and carried her to her bedroom. Her body moved of its own violation when she was placed on soft bedding, her body curling up and her head nestling into the fluffy pillow.

She was lost in a dream unlike any other. Being underwater was nothing odd, actually quite a common factor with her dreams. It was the presence of another, yet no matter where she looked, the other stayed just out of her sight. She could see a flash of a tail from her peripherals, but it was gone when she finally managed to turn to it.

Then arms were around her, holding her in place. The flesh was cold but strong. Glancing to the arms around her, she was startled to see they were a light shade of turquoise. The body she was being pressed against was pure muscle, sharp teeth nipping at the back of her neck.

Her hands grasped the arms, sliding up the limbs to explore them. Small spikes in a line from wrist to elbow, a thin membrane connecting them into a long fin that only stuck out about three inches at the elbow. The fingers were also webbed and bore sharp talons.

"Just wait, Valerie," a rich, deep voice crooned. "You will be my Queen of the sea." A hand reached up to cover her eyes as she was spun around, her chest to an obviously masculine one. "It is only a matter of time." A tongue ran up her neck to her mouth, lips pressing firmly against her own.

Gasping, she lurched forth on her bed, looking around to see that she wasn't underwater in the arms of a blue-skinned man. She's alone. At home. In her room.

Exhaling loudly, she dropped back onto the bed and placed a hand on her still warm forehead. "What the hell was that?"

**Here the Chapter Ends**

**A somewhat reveal. Don't ask about the 'dance' scene. I may come up with some explanation for it later, but got nothing now. As far as you are aware, anyway.**

**So let me know what you guys think! ^^**


	4. Revelation

**I know, I know. I took forever here, but it is here! ^^ Say 'yay!' please. JK!**

**Anyway, if things go how I would like, Phantom should reveal himself this chapter. If things go how I want them to go. But every time I think I have a good outline, typing it out ends up with a lot more things happening that just pop out of nowhere.**

**Disclaimer: Do not own Danny Phantom or any references you may find anywhere in this story. Keep forgetting that part…**

**Here the Chapter Starts**

"Valerie!"

Three voices in unison made her jump, almost falling into the pool where Phantom was trying to wrap his jaws around a basketball. He could do it, but it looked like he was mostly amusing himself with his task.

Catching herself, Valerie twisted her upper body then grinned brightly as she leapt to her feet. "What are you guys doing here?" she asked incredulously as the trio approached.

"Visiting, duh," Sam scoffed playfully with a roll of her purple eyes.

"We all had the weekend off at the same time, so we thought we should come see how you were doing," Tucker added on.

"It's been a while since we've all hung out together," Danny pointed out sheepishly, hunching his shoulders with a small smile on his lips. "We didn't think there was any harm to a visit."

"There's no harm, just don't touch any of the animals," Valerie chuckled. The basketball Phantom was originally playing with flew by her head, hitting Tucker's forehead and ricocheting back into the pool.

"Ow! What was that?!" Tucker exclaimed, hand on the new burning sensation of his forehead.

Scowling, Valerie turned back to the pool, noting how Phantom was trying to act innocent but his smirk gave him away. "Phantom! Don't do that!" She swears that only this shark could pull off the 'I have no clue what you are talking about' face.

"That's Phantom?" Danny asked curiously, leaning around the woman to peer at the shark. "Whoa! It's that one?"

"He's pretty cool looking," Sam commented, kneeling at the edge of the deck. Using his tail, the shark sent a surge of water at the goth, causing her to fall back onto her butt.

"Yeah, but he's got an attitude," Valerie sighed, shaking her head. "He gets jealous whenever I'm talking with someone else." Brows furrowed as she looked to Danny. "What did you mean by 'that one'?"

The pale, raven-haired boy shrugged. "My parents have been after this one for a long time," he explained. "They think he's the 'Leader of the Merpeople'. Or something like that."

"You know, even if merpeople exist, they should be left alone," Sam declared, not seeing Phantom nod in agreement.

"Or we could introduce them to the wonders of technology," Tucker suggested, earning a hit from Sam.

"Technology can't survive in water, Tucker," she pointed out sharply. "Besides, technology doesn't make life better. It makes it easier. Which makes people lazier. Then humans keep developing more and the earth suffers for it!"

"Are they seriously still having this argument?" Valerie sighed, looking to Danny in exasperation.

"Every time we meet up," he returned with a grin. "Hey, guys! It's almost lunch! Val, you wanna join us? We could all catch up."

Smiling, she nodded. "Yeah, just let me feed Phantom his lunch and we can go." Frowning with her arms crossed, she turned back to the shark and bent at her hip. "So long as he promises to behave!"

He snorted in response, bumping the ball out of the pool before diving to the bottom.

"That is the only shark I know that has ever pouted," she declared, kicking the ball back into the pool.

**Here is a line!**

"And after that long, grueling court battle, we finally got make-up companies to stop testing their products on animals," Sam finished with pride, her back straightening as she practically glowed under her achievement.

"Wow, good for you guys," Valerie praised with a smile. "I know it's been an ongoing battle. You've been tackling that one since school. So what's your next target?"

"Medical companies," she answered.

"Good luck there," Tucker scoffed as he took a huge bite of his greasy burger.

"What about you, Tucker? What have you been up to?" Valerie inquired, lacing her fingers together and placing her chin on top.

"Me? I happen to be working for one of the top tech companies around," he bragged, holding out his wrist. "Even got this company watch. I mean, I'm still low tier, but I'm working my way to the top. I'm actually working on a project now to increase computer speeds and capabilities while also making them smaller. It sounds a lot easier than it actually is. You won't believe how many have crashed! Or simply blew up. Or caught fire from high heat."

"You have a long way to go," Danny commented with a laugh.

"We just need to figure out a decent cooling system that won't get overworked. Then we're set for the computers to work the way they should."

"And you, Danny? Last time we talked, you said you were considered one of the better techs at the station," Valerie pressed.

"Yeah, actually, though it is a surprise," Danny replied, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "I mean, my grades in school were never that great or anything. It's surprising that I even managed to find a college. Jazz helped, and so did my godfather."

"Godfather?" she repeated curiously, having never heard that Danny has one.

"Yeah, he's an old friend of my parents," he explained. "Really rich, has a lot of influence. He heard that I want to be an astronaut and helped hire tutors for me to get through college. He even put me where I am. Let me tell you, it's great! But before I start training to be an astronaut, I need to know the systems and I need to build up my physique. Spending time is space does cause damage to the body, so I wouldn't survive well as I am now."

"He follow the belief of your parents?" she asked lowly.

"Somewhat. A lot of cyptids he says simply don't exist. There's not enough evidence, and any evidence that shows up is usually a hoax. He does believe in some, though, so he tries to get into all businesses possible to see if anyone could ever find one."

"Who is he?"

"Vlad Masters," Sam answered this time. "Guy's a total creep, if you ask me."

"You don't like him because he keeps calling you 'dear Samantha'," Tucker teased, poking her shoulder.

"He has animal skins all over one of his cabins!" she exclaimed. "That practically screams 'sociopath' or 'psychopath'!"

"He also threatened to ruin my career," Valerie sighed sadly, hands clenching.

"What?!" the trio shouted.

With a deep sigh, she nodded. "He offered to keep me in charge of Phantom, but only if we keep him in containment," she explained. "When I asked him about me refusing, he said that I would be removed from the facility, would make sure no one would take me in elsewhere, and any hope of being a marine biologist would disappear."

"Unfortunately, that does sound like him," Danny huffed. "When he doesn't get his way, he tries to force it."

"So you sacrificed a poor shark to a lifetime of experimentation in order to save yourself?!" Sam exclaimed in disgust.

"No, I was actually going to refuse, or agree only to set Phantom free once he was healed enough from his injuries," she defended. "I would lose everything, but I couldn't condemn him to whatever Mister Masters has planned for him. But… it was weird… Phantom was the one that accepted the deal."

"How?"

"He just nodded," she replied with a shake of her head. "Sharks can't do that. They don't really have enough thinking capabilities to do that."

"Ever think that maybe he is more than a shark?" Danny asked.

"Danny, you need to step away from your parents," Tucker told him.

Danny shook his head. "He had to have given you some kind of sign."

"Beyond telepathy? Nothing," Valerie denied. "He's just really, really smart. And does things no other shark is supposed to do, like stay in one spot in still water or move backwards."

"Telepathy?" Sam repeated. "The shark is telepathic?"

"Val, listen," Danny started. "I know my parents come off as crazy, but some of the things they get their hands on is unbelievable. People brush it off as them putting things together to make something else, but I have seen it. If he is more than an average shark, and he hasn't shown you, there has to be a reason."

Her brows furrowed as she thought. During the day hours, there were people everywhere. Night hours are graveyard shift and security is all the time. Cameras are everywhere, on every pool to keep watch over the health of the specimens. "The people… and the cameras!" she exclaimed in realization, her hands slamming onto the table. "He can't show me because we have cameras on every pool!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Tucker interjected. "Valerie, you're really not going along with this, are you? No offense, Danny, but thinking he's a merman or something else is a bit crazy."

"If you saw this shark, how he behaves with me and everyone else, you would think he's something else, too," she accused sharply. "I just need answers. I need to know if I'm going crazy or if he really is something else."

"Valerie, we're here for you when you need us, but you have to admit that this sounds a little too crazy," Sam tried to dissuade, but Valerie shook her head.

"No. After everything, it would just be clarity," she informed, leaning back into her chair. "That's all I need."

The trio shared a glance to each other before Danny put a hand on hers. "Want us to be there for you?" he offered, gently squeezing her fingers.

"Thanks, but I don't think anything will happen if you do," she refused with a small, grateful smile. "This is something I have to do alone."

**Here is a line!**

She wasn't sure whether to thank her lucky stars or curse them when she found out who the nighttime security guard is. Nathan, her school stalker that tried asking her to prom since junior high. It was actually kind of creepy that he works security in the same place she works during day hours.

But thankfully, he had to work night shift for a week since the usual night guard watching the cameras had to leave for a family emergency. And Nathan was the only one available, out of the entire security department, that could cover for the guy. Mainly because he, sadly enough, lacks a life outside of stalking Valerie.

He also happens to be her best shot at getting this plan to work, she reminded herself. So with a deep inhale, Valerie tapped the security door with her knuckles, waiting for the verbal permission to enter. Instead, the door practically flew open.

"Valerie!" he exclaimed happily, red hair in disarray. "I saw you coming. What are you doing here so late?"

"Hey, Nathan," she returned, trying not to flinch from the gleaming eyes the young man was directing at her. "I actually need to get some work done with Phantom. But I also need a huge favor from you."

"Sure, anything!" Nathan declared.

"I need you to turn off all cameras that show his tank," she stated, hands up and pressed together.

His bright smile fell and he shook his head. "No. No, no, no, no, no! I can't do that, Valerie! I could lose my job!"

"Just for a little while!" she pleaded. "I'll come tell you when to turn them back on! I just need some time to try something, but if there is visual proof, I could end up losing my job. It's not like I'm going to move him! I would need, like, three extra people to do that. And he kind of stands out, so replacing him with a duplicate is impossible. I just need to try something."

Nathan groaned, rubbing his neck nervously. "But if my boss catches a break in the feeds…"

"What is he doing now?" she asked impatiently.

"Just… sitting there," he answered, stepping to the side to allow Valerie a chance to see the screens. Just as he said, Phantom was in the middle of his tank, simply floating in place with the occasional twitch of his fins. Oddly enough, it looked like he had angled himself to watch the cameras. "Like always."

"Then can you loop a visual feed?" she suggested. "Just record him like that and play it over and over so that no one gets suspicious?"

"Maybe," Nathan said slowly, nodding his head. "But Valerie, if that thing hurts you and there's nothing on camera of the attack, then we're both in trouble."

"It'll be fine. Can you do it? Please, Nathan?" She fluttered her eyes for good measure, despite a shiver flying up her spine. "For me? Just this one little favor?"

Nathan gulped thickly but smiled at her. "Sure thing, Valerie! Whatever you need!"

"Thank you!" she chirped, patting his cheek. "I have my radio on me, so let me know when you are set. Remember, all the cameras."

"Right! Will do!"

If it wasn't for the fact that it would encourage his stalker tendencies, she probably would have kissed his cheek or hugged him from her excitement. As it was, she left the room with a skip in her steps, heading directly to the door leading out the front to show that she was leaving. There was a side path she could take that didn't have as many cameras in order to get to the shark.

"Valerie? You there? Over."

"I'm here. Over."

"Situation taken care of. You have the green. Over."

"I owe you. Over and out."

Turning the radio off, she followed the sidewalk around the building and to the pools, making sure to dodge any cameras in the area that could spot her. Finally, she made it to the pool. But her brows furrowed in confusion when she noticed a lack of shark when he was there just a moment ago. Thinking she may just have the wrong pool (somehow), she headed to the next, but it was empty too.

"What the-?"

"Here I was thinking that damn octopus finally got his ass in," someone commented, causing Valerie to freeze. "And to think, it was actually you. Consider me surprised, Valerie. That doesn't happen often."

Slowly, she turned around, spotting a tall, muscular man leaning against the pillar. But he was no ordinary man. His skin was a light turquoise and long fins from his wrists to his elbows, scales from his webbed feet to his thick thighs, up along his sides, and wrapping around his back. The scales showed a familiar pattern, too. His hair was soaked and limp, but a bright white, hanging over his blood red eyes. Webbed fingers with talons at each end tapped his elbows in thought as he looked her up and down.

"Next time Nikolai calls himself 'Technus, master of human technology', I'm going to rip off half his limbs," he stated with a bored shrug. "This may work out well enough, though."

"Who are you?" she asked, her voice barely higher than a whisper. "What are you?"

"Why, Valerie! I thought you would recognize me!" he replied, placing a hand on his chest in mock hurt. "You gave me my name, after all. Ah, but I forget. You're human. And there are things in the world, certain magics, humans just never try to understand. So I'll be nice this time and simply tell you.

"I'm the King of the Merfolk. But you call me Phantom."

**Here the Chapter Ends**

**There! He's revealed! We finally get to the Merman/Mermaid part of the story~!**

**Hope you guys enjoyed it. Let me know what you think. I'll try to get the next chapter up soon.**


	5. Meeting the King

**I am sure all of you have been anticipating this situation. I hope I do not disappoint. **

**Disclaimer: Do not own any Danny Phantom or random references. And they usually are pretty random.**

**Here the Chapter Starts**

Valerie couldn't move. She couldn't think. Hell, she could hardly breathe!

A part of her, a large part, actually hoped she was just crazy. That she was just imagining the voice in her head. That she just bonded with a strange, highly intelligent shark.

But he's not a shark. Not really. He's on two feet, standing just a few meters away. He has both skin and scales. He claims to be her shark.

Shaking her head and rubbing her eyes proved to be of no help. He was still there, watching her with an amused smirk and quirked brow.

"Valerie, I'm really here," he told her with a throaty chuckle.

"Or I'm actually crazy and having some weird dream again!" she exclaimed, almost frantic.

"Enjoy those dreams?" he asked cockily, his lips spreading into a grin as he tilted his head. The spread lips revealed gleaming sharp teeth. "I try to make them pleasant for us both."

"You… What? How did you… What?!"

"We have a mental bond, but your mind is so occupied during the day that the strongest connection is when there is skin on skin contact," he explained, pushing himself off the pillar he was against and stepping towards her. "When you sleep, your mind is calmer. Thus I am able to contact you even with the distance." He looked at her curiously, his head tilting. "Why is your face red?"

"Because I just fully realized that you're naked," she stated, trying not to lower her gaze farther than his broad chest.

"I don't mind if you look," he reassured with his smug grin in place. "You might actually be impressed."

"Hold on a second!" she exclaimed, her hands on his chest to try and force him to take a few steps back. "You just said that you're the 'King of Merfolk', right?"

"I did because I am," he confirmed. "I had to kill the last king in order to get the title, but kill him I did. I damn well earned my position."

"But aren't mermaids or -in your case- mermen supposed to be… I don't know! Half human, half fish?!"

"We have three forms," he explained. "The one you are thinking of is our halfa forms. We have both gills and lungs, so we can breathe in and above water. Then there is our bestial form, which you are exposed to every day. And then there is this form, our humanoid form. Centuries of evolution does this, especially after you humans started ruling the land."

Valerie took a shaky inhale as she covered her face then ran her fingers through his thick dark hair while releasing the breath. "Okay. Okay, I can handle weird. I don't even know what I was really expecting! But… Oh, god, I need a moment."

"Take it later, Valerie, I need to know something," Phantom brushed off.

"Excuse you!" she cried out, swatting his chest. He blinked at her in surprise. "I am having a near mental breakdown! I think I deserve a moment to process all this before our conversation continues!" She let out a sarcastic laugh, holding her hands out in front of her to gesture to him. "I mean… look at you! You're a real… a real…"

Almost taunting, he held his arms out. "Merman?"

"Yes! This goes against everything I ever knew! I mean, mermaids aren't real! No one has ever seen one!"

"Except you, my dear," he pointed out.

"I don't even know if I really am! Am I awake?"

"Yes, Valerie, you're awake," the merman sighed in annoyance, rubbing his forehead. "Now calm down and answer this one question for me! Is Vlad Masters here?"

"What?" she gasped. "Why do you need to know if he's here?"

"Because I plan on killing him, but I need to know if he is here in order to do that," Phantom explained impatiently.

"Kill him!? What the hell? Oh my god, what am I mixed up with now?"

"He's a threat to my people," he informed. "He's been hunting us for decades. Sure, we can outlive him, but I will not tolerate him coming after my people anymore! So I am going to kill him and remove the threat. Permanently."

"You don't just wander around killing people!" Valerie exclaimed. "Besides, it's not like he's the only one after you!"

"The rest are idiots or unlucky," Phantom excused, waving his hand off to the side. "Masters is different. He knows us. He knew exactly who I am the second he saw me! That's why he threatened your livelihood in order to keep me. But with you now knowing the truth, you can help me end him."

"I am not going to murder someone," she protested, shaking her head harshly. "No way!"

"You won't need to do anything but provide some information," he assured. "I will be the one that kills him. Not you, Valerie dear. I would not intentionally put you in the way of harm."

"Like that makes a difference!" Turning away, Valerie pressed her hands to her head, taking deep breaths and releasing them slowly. Phantom, thankfully, remained quiet, though she could hear him walking around. Curious, she looked to the merman. "How did you know it was safe to come out of the pool? Most feeds through the cameras just show you in the middle of the pool, not moving. You scared a lot of people that first night."

"The red lights turned off," he offered, pointing to a camera over his shoulder. "I assumed Nikolai got in and disabled them. I assumed wrong. Others are still on."

"Nikolai?" she repeated in confusion.

"Calls himself a master at human technology because he studies it the most, but he's a bit of an idiot," he sighed. "It is unfortunate, but he is an octopus and they have everything crammed into one body part that their brains are kind of suffocated. He is slow when it comes to planning. Skulker, on the other hand, comes up with the relatively decent plans."

"Skulker?"

"A bull shark that has a profession in hunting. They are able hunters, even the ordinaries. That picture you shown me a while back, the one of the dolphin. That is his mate, Ember. She was born in the wrong body, I swear. Should have been a ray with an attitude like hers."

"Wait a second," she cut off skeptically. "A bull shark merman is mated to a Commerson's dolphin mermaid?"

"It is not that odd a couple," he brushed off, rolling his shoulders. "My sire was a tiger shark merman and my mother was a hourglass dolphin mermaid. Most offspring from such couples tend to take after the same sex parent. An odd couple is a beluga whale merman with a giant squid mermaid. Yes, I have seen such a couple, and their child scares me. Actually, she's mostly a pain in the ass."

Valerie shook herself, still not sure if she was really awake or asleep, but figured she could get some answers either way. "In those dreams you say you give me," she started. "You keep saying that I will be your 'Queen of the Seas'. Why?"

He chuckled, smirking to her. "Because you will be. Soon as my business with Masters is finished, I plan on having you as my mate."

"Why? I'm human!" she pointed out, gesturing to herself to emphasize her point. "There's no fins or gills here, buddy!"

"Beside the point and, thanks to my new position, easy to amend," he excused, looking through the windows into the building. "I take it Masters is not here tonight."

"No, he's not," Valerie replied with a frustrated huff. "At least, I haven't seen him. Back to our previous subject, why me? And how is it amendable?"

"There are certain magics you humans are not ready for, as I mentioned before," he pointed out. "But the advisor to the King of the Seas has access to such magic. I simply go to him, prove my case, and he will provide me with what I need in order to give you the gift of our world."

"Your world? …Wait, you mean to… turn me…? Into a mermaid?" she said in surprise, pointing to her own chest as her eyebrows rose in bewilderment.

"You see, Valerie, this is why I like you," Phantom commented fondly. "You catch on quickly. You're also strong, tough, brave, intelligent, and quite beautiful. Very few have attributes like yours. Most of the mermaids are either meek little minnows that roll over whenever their mate demands it, or they are power grabbing sirens that abandon their mates and offspring to save themselves.

"You, however, do no such thing. You had no clue what I am capable of, yet you still offered a hand I could have easily bitten off just to tell me that all you wanted was to heal my wound. You were risking harm to yourself to stop me from harming myself. You jumped into the water with a rampaging shark that could have easily killed you, but you grabbed my fin and held on until I accidentally threw you.

"Not to mention when Masters threatened your position. You may not have outright accepted or denied it, but the fact that you hesitated, that you waited to see what I wanted first, told me enough. You are the perfect Queen for me. I will accept no other."

"You can't just decide that! I have a choice, too!" she protested vehemently.

"You will. But make no mistake of my intentions towards you, my dear," he replied uncaringly. He paused, head jerking to the side. His hair split enough for her to see that his ear had three points from the tip to the lobe. "Someone is coming."

Valerie looked around, hearing a splash from the pool that was most likely Phantom disappearing back into the water. A quick glance confirmed the fact, as well as him being a shark once more. A light emerged from around the corner, steps finally reaching her ears as she tensed in preparation to hide. Except the person coming around the corner wasn't someone to hide from.

"Damn it, Nathan, you scared me!" she gasped.

"I'm sorry, Valerie, but you wouldn't answer your radio," he pointed out. "I thought I should come out here and check on you."

"That's sweet, really, but you should get back to the security room," she assured. "I'm done here, anyway."

"Okay, if you're sure," the guard said, hesitant to turn away.

"I'm sure. Bye!" she giggled, giving him a small wave.

He waved in turn with a bright smile then went back the way he came. A whistle from him filled the air, getting quieter the further he went.

"I don't like him," she heard Phantom say from behind her. "He intends to have you as well."

Crossing her arms, she turned to the merman leaning on the edge of the pool, his arms crossed on the concrete and his chin on his wrists. "Like that is ever going to happen," she commented then pointed to the shark. "With either of you."

"You say so, but you are more likely to accept my offer than his, so I suppose he may live," he declared then sunk back into the water.

"You arrogant dick!" she shouted at him, stomping her foot before storming back to her car.

Tonight did not go how she expected it to. But then again, she didn't know what to expect.

**Here is a line!**

The next morning was like any other morning, even with the knowledge that she is actually dealing with a merman instead of a shark. So long as she ignored what happened last night, she could act as though nothing had changed. But it still lingered at the back of her mind as watched over him from the deck.

"Valerie," she heard her father call.

"Yes, Daddy?" she replied as she turned to him.

"We need to take Phantom to run some bloodwork on him," he informed calmly, though knew it was something his daughter would most likely protest.

"Why?" Valerie asked skeptically. "He hasn't shown any signs of sickness, so it can't be for his health."

Damon shook his head sadly. "Orders from the top. I know you don't like it, but it would be a lot easier if you helped us with it."

Valerie sighed heavily, but nodded. "Okay." If she tried to get in the way too much, Vlad could have her removed from the facility, and from her chosen field of study. Not to mention, without her being here, who knows what kind of damage this crazy shark could do. Or even worse, what could be done to him.

Hands on her shoulders caused her to look up at her father, seeing his sad but proud smile being directed at her. "I know you love this shark and want him to be free, but it isn't necessarily a bad thing that he's here. At least with him here, we know he's getting the best care possible. Especially with you looking over him."

She gave him a small smile in return. "Thanks, Daddy. I just… I don't mind studying him, but it isn't fair to him. To any of them. He's perfectly capable of taking care of himself out in the wild, but we're keeping him trapped here. Some of our specimens can't live out there anymore because of injuries they had or because we're trying to repopulate an endangered species. I understand that! But look at him!"

Damon sighed, knowing what his daughter was trying to tell him. But without risking their jobs, there was nothing they could do. To be honest, he wants the shark gone too, but only because it actually scares him. And there usually weren't a lot of oceanic creatures that could scare him. He's spent so much time in the water before being restricted to the lab that he knows that most aquatic life is simply misunderstood.

"He's a proud and majestic creature. He doesn't deserve a life in a tank. You know as well as I do that Mister Masters won't ever let him be free. He'll live the rest of his life in that tank and die there! Sharks in captivity always live shorter lives than sharks in the wild!"

"I know, honey," he sighed, giving her shoulders a gentle squeeze. "I know. But our hands are tied. There is nothing we can do." Shaking his head, he pulled his hands back. "I'll let everyone know to get transport ready for him."

Watching her father walk away almost broke Valerie's heart, but she knew that he was in the same boat as her. If Phantom were to randomly disappear, she would be at the top of the suspect list, and her father would follow after.

"Alright then," she huffed, turning to the pool and leaning over the railing. "Are you going to be good, 'your majesty', or do I need to sedate you?"

He stared at her with a bland look then rolled his eyes in dismissal. Crouching down, she held her hand out, allowing him to push his snout against her palm.

'_You know, if you can calm down your overly active mind when you're awake, this would be unnecessary. Though I do not object to your touch and I certainly enjoy the dreams._'

"Answer the question," she huffed.

'_I dislike needles._'

"So do I need to sedate you?" she pressed, starting to get annoyed.

'_No. I will sleep. Do what you must, but no other human touches me or I feast on human flesh. Understood?_'

"See, this is why everyone is so scared of you!"

'_Good. That means my time with you will not be interrupted as much_.'

She groaned in annoyance as she stood back up, breaking their current connection. "For the record, my mind is not overly busy," she argued, pointing her finger at the shark. "I just don't waste my waking hours thinking of pointless things!" Lowering her voice, she added in a harsh whisper, "Like murder!"

He snorted in response, swimming around the pool as they waited for the machine to come over and scoop him out of the water.

"I have a question for you," she informed, leaning on the rail again. "You said that he's a threat to your people. But why do you hate Masters so much?"

She half expected him to shift into his 'halfa' form to explain why. But he simply looked at her then turned away, but his red eyes were sad. There is a story to be told, she's sure of it. Though prying it from him might be like prying teeth.

"You met him before, haven't you?" she asked lowly, mindful of the sounds coming closer to the pool. He didn't turn to her.

"I have sedatives ready, Valerie," Kwan stated as he approached.

"Don't worry about them," she denied, shaking her head. "I don't think he'll fight us. But just to be on the safe side, best to let me be the one that draws blood."

**Here the Chapter Ends**

**Hope the meeting didn't disappoint anyone. And yes, there is a story behind Phantom and Vlad. It will be explained later.**

**Anyway, let me know what you guys think. I hope you are still enjoying yourselves. Any questions, ask away. ^^ See you guys next time!**


	6. Memory

**Okay, gonna be nice and give a little bit of a back-story in this chapter. Mainly between Valerie and Phantom. It just popped into my head and may seem a bit cliché, but it also seemed like a pretty good idea.**

**Disclaimer: Do not own any Danny Phantom or references to random subjects.**

**Here the Chapter Starts**

"Wait a second," Valerie interrupted, much to Phantom's amusement as he pulled himself up to lean on the rails, his lower half that of a shark's body and his tail swinging side to side in the water. "So there is no government or monetary system among your people? You guys just kill to get whatever you want?"

"Mostly," he replied with a shrug. "The ocean is a free place. There are no houses or 'bills' to worry about, like you often told me you concern yourself with. We simply take. And if someone else has what we want, then yes, sometimes we kill for it, depending on the item. Other times, there are no deaths in the fights, just a victor."

"Then what if you want someone but they already have a mate?" she inquired curiously, wondering if that rule applied to couples.

"No, that is a different scenario," he denied with a shake of his head. "Killing one's mate in order to get them would be counterproductive. If a mate were to leave their coupling, then that is one thing. But killing one to get the other just leaves the survivor hating you and plotting revenge. You don't get the one you want and they want to kill you in turn."

"At least there's a line somewhere," she commented, glancing over her shoulders to the cameras. It took quite a bit to convince Nathan to turn the cameras off again for her to speak with Phantom like they are. She was worried he might turn them back on when they least expect it.

"There is a line to everything, my dear," he pointed out. "We do not harm children, they are to be protected. We honor each other's territory unless we wish to challenge for it or something in the territory."

"Okay, so if you don't use any form of money," she started, looking back to the merman that decided he had enough patience to answer her questions. "Then say you want to trade for something instead of fighting for it. What do you do then?"

"We trade," he answered easily with a shrug. "If I have something Skulker wants but he won't fight me because he knows he'll lose, he can offer me something he has that I want. If he has nothing, he can search until he does. Then we trade."

"What about food, or is it a 'hunt for yourself' kind of world?"

"We hunt for ourselves." His expression showed curiosity this time as he leaned closer to Valerie. "What is this 'money' you mentioned, anyway?"

Valerie let out a silent 'oh' as she reached into her pocket to pull out her wallet. Opening the billfold, she pulled out three bills, two ones and a five. "This is money, and we use it for everything," she explained. "To buy food, drinks, homes, cars… it basically rules over everyone. Each country has its own kind, so depending on where you are, you get different kinds of it. There are the bills like these and then there are coins that are fractions of a dollar."

"It's green paper," he noted, taking the five and looking it out. Sniffing it, he scowled. "Smells disgusting."

"Well, that little piece of green paper can buy me a small lunch at the closest Nasty Burger," she pointed out, taking the bill back. "It's what we use to trade. Everything has some kind of value to it, and if we have enough money, we buy it. And people with more money than most tend to buy bigger, better things and live better lives."

"That's idiotic," the merman declared, shaking his head. "Why would you want to live in such a place? I offer you a home without these boundaries you humans put up, and you keep refusing."

"This is my life, Phantom," she reminded for the fifth time in the past three days. "This is where my family is, where my friends are. I can't just abandon all of them!"

He groaned, lowering his chin onto his crossed arms as his tail gave an annoyed slap onto the water. "You are far too sentimental, but at least I know you would not leave me when you accept."

"You say that like I actually would accept being your queen," Valerie scoffed, rolling her eyes as she reached down to her bag to pull out a bottle of colored water. Phantom looked at it curiously, his head tilted as she unscrewed the cap and took a sip. "Besides, living on the land isn't such a bad thing."

"Really?" he drawled, though his eyes kept darting to the bottle.

"There are things on land that you will never find in the ocean because the water isn't right for it," she pointed out smugly. "Take this for instance." She shook the bottle, drawing more of his attention to it. "It's grape juice. Grapes are a fruit that grow on vines in bundles. Not in the ocean, but on land. Wanna try a sip?"

His lips curled as he pushed himself away from the offered bottle. His nose twitched at the smell. "That smells horrendous," he grumbled.

"But it's good and just the right amount of sweet," the woman urged, shaking the bottle. "Come on! Just a sip!"

"I try that, you try whale liver," Phantom challenged with a wide grin that showed off his fangs. "It's practically a delicacy! And there is enough of it to feed a school."

"Ew, no!" Valerie protested, jerking the bottle away. "You guys kill whales?!"

"We kill anything we can eat," he brushed off. "Besides, it's not like we're pushing them to extinction. We haven't targeted any bowheads or sei whales lately because there aren't enough of them to continue living beyond this century. Maybe further, if they're lucky. If anything, we protect the ones we find in trouble."

"But there are some whale merpeople," she stated, brows furrowing. "You said you know of a beluga whale merman."

"Yes, some merfolk are of the whaling species," he confirmed, nodding his head. "Just as some are rays, some are dolphins and porpoises, some are sharks, and some are even fish. Merfolk simply are what we are. I eat shark sometimes, but that doesn't make me a cannibal. I don't eat other merfolk, I just eat ordinaries. The merfolk that die in combat are generally eaten by the ordinaries."

"What are 'ordinaries'? You keep saying it."

"Creatures in the water that are not merfolk," he clarified with a wave of his head. "You can generally tell the difference at a glance. Merfolk have unique coloring."

"Huh," she huffed, thinking that was what he meant but wanting confirmation. "And it doesn't bother anyone when an ordinary that they share a species with is killed?"

"No, because those ordinaries die in order for us merfolk and other species to live. It's a balance we try our best to maintain."

"The circle of life," Valerie chuckled, taking a small sip of her grape juice. As soon as the opening song to 'The Lion King' started playing in her head, she wanted to hit herself.

"I suppose it could be called that," Phantom accepted with a nod. "Humans, I have observed, do not respect it too well."

"Humans get selfish," she sighed sadly, capping the bottle and putting it back down. "Once we discover something of value, we scramble to get it. And it does kill out entire species. So many are gone forever because humans just don't stop. We even kill each other over it. But there are groups that try to fight against it. Whalers always hunt the whales, but there are always groups after them to get them to stop. We don't always succeed, but… we try."

"If only all humans cared so much," the merman scoffed. His eyes looked Valerie up and down, ducking his head back down to hide his smirk behind his arm. "A shame not all are as compassionate as you."

"You should meet more humans," she returned. "So, you mind telling me what your beef is with Vlad Masters?"

Phantom growled, turning his head away. His hair slid over his neck, exposing an old scar that Valerie had not noticed on the shark before. It was small and straight, like a cut from a scalpel. "I already told you."

"You just said he's a threat, but you outright hate the guy. I feel like there is a story there."

"Go home and sleep, Valerie, or you will be tired in the morning," the merman advised, allowing himself to fall from the rails and back into the water. "I promise to behave if you're late."

"Phantom," she sighed, but grunted in annoyance when the merman just changed into his full shark body in an act to not answer her question. "If you really want my help, you have to talk to me at some point about it!"

He splashed the water in retaliation. As Valerie walked away, Phantom watched her until she was out of his sight. It wasn't that he didn't want her to know why. He just didn't want to open up old wounds. Maybe when Masters and his insane pet are dead, the scars can finally fade.

**Here is a line!**

Her feet were heavy as she stormed into the lab, a file in her hands that was soon thrown onto a table. "What the hell is all this?!" Valerie exclaimed, eyes going to the drugged shark suspended above the water.

"Mister Masters wanted some x-rays and ultrasounds done on Phantom," Kwan explained. "We tried contacting you, but it just kept going to voicemail."

"So you drugged him instead of waiting for me?!" she nearly screamed, ready to rip her own hair out.

"Mister Masters was adamant that we do this as soon as possible, even if it includes sedating the specimen," her old friend defended, ducking his head down. "I'm sorry, Valerie. I wanted to wait for you to get here. We all know you show up every day. But he isn't exactly patient and Phantom won't let anyone other than you near him. We had to sedate him."

She let out a harsh groan that had Kwan flinching down. Running her hands over her face, she peered at the tiger shark from between her fingers. "Why does he want all this done?" she asked lowly.

"The bloodwork was odd, so he wanted a more intensive look inside the shark to see what could be causing the anomalies," Kwan replied, picking up the file and straightening the crooked papers inside. "He even wants us to do a MRI scan to see how his brain has developed."

Taking a deep breath, she went over to the shallow pool as they lowered Phantom into the water. "Get it done fast," she ordered as the jets kicked up to churn the water to help the beast breathe. Her hand was on him in a split second. "He doesn't stay sedated for very long. And he will be pissed when he wakes up."

'_Val…?_'

"Hey, I'm here," she soothed, rubbing her hand from his snout to above his eye, making sure that her hand went along his skin instead of against. "We're just getting some work done. It'll be quick. Promise."

'_He… is… looking…_'

Whispering as she leaned closer, "For what?"

'…_Everything…_'

"X-ray in place," Kwan informed as he handed a thick, heavy apron over to Valerie. "Put this on and we can start."

Taking it while keeping one hand on the shark, Valerie placed the lead-lined apron as everyone else put their own on. Sharks usually have cartilage skeletons, meaning not a lot can show up in x-rays. But the images could still show the layout of the organs inside, possible tumors, and any area where there could be pockets of air or fluid buildup.

The machine did not go further than the dorsal, beeping at each image taken. Once it was done, the machine was moved away and the next one came out, hovering over Phantom's head. The shark jerked his head to the side, but Valerie managed to sooth him, informing him that it was just pictures.

"He's something else," Kwan suddenly announced as the MRI took the images. "God, his brain development is insane! But he's… Valerie, you need to see this!"

"Keep the image on screen, I need to stay here with him," she ordered, keeping her hand on the shark's forehead as he leaned against her side. "Instead of ultrasound, just do the MRI all over him. We'll get better images of everything that way. And an ultrasound takes too long. He'll wake before we're done."

"Understood," the tech acknowledges, slowly moving the MRI machine over the length of Phantom's body.

More images flooded the screens, each one quickly replaced for the next to load up. Blobs of gray formed and morphed until they were able to identify organs. The scans were finally done and that machine moved away.

"Hey, you doing okay?" she asked, patting the side of the shark's head.

'…_Don't know… right now…_'

"Wait for a bit and I'll be right back," she promised as she shrugged off the protective apron and climbed out of the pool. "No one goes near him. He could start waking up any second. Kwan, what do you have?"

"Check this out," he said as he pushed his chair back, giving Valerie enough space to see the computer screen. "That right there is a normal shark brain. Their brains are small. Phantom? Everyone knows he's smart. Now take a look at his brain formation." He removed the current picture and replaced it with the one from the MRI.

"Holy shit," she said in awe.

"That brain is three times the size it should be, far more developed," Kwan informed. "All his other organs are normal size, but they're not cramped together because of his brain taking up more space than it should. Even his skull is elongated to cover it. Look, it stretches along his vertebrae until it's halfway to his dorsal fin. Everything under it should be shoved down, constricted, but it's not!"

"And what is that?" she asked, pointing to a white object in the picture.

"It looks like…" He pressed a couple buttons and clicked the mouse a couple times to zoom in on the image. "Is that a chip?"

"Looks like it's just under his skin… no, under muscle," she observed. "But how did it get there?"

"If we can get it out, we can find out," he suggested.

"No, he's waking up," she reminded, hearing a yelp as someone jumped away from a harsh thrash of the shark. "We need to get him back to his tank. We'll figure that out later when we're not threatening to overdose him." She ran back to the pool and jumped into the water, pressing against the shark. Her touch seemed to instantly calm him.

"Get him back to his tank!" Kwan ordered. "Quickly!"

Valerie stayed in the water until the catch was ready to scoop Phantom up. Once he was in the air, she walked along with the machine outside to the pools, easing in as soon as the shark was back in the water and putting on a pair of flippers. It concerned her when he started to sink, nose first. Then he shook himself and swam a couple feet, only to stop and start sinking again. Whatever they hit him with is wearing off, but it affected him a lot stronger than the last sedative.

"Hey, hey, hey, easy," she said gently, grasping his dorsal fin and helping to push him along in the water.

For a brief moment, she thought she went underwater. Her vision was suddenly nothing but water, beautiful blue water. Clicking from dolphins in the distance. Then she was back in the pool.

"What the… Hey, Phantom, wake up now." She slapped his forehead lightly to cause stimulation, but all it did was put her back under the water. Only there was a boat now. A boat with a cage by it. Then the vision was gone.

'_I'm awake… I'm awake…_'

"Try again," she scoffed, giving her legs as strong of a kick as she could. His tail jerked, pushing both of them forth sluggishly. "What did they give you? You practically snapped awake last time!"

'…_Woozy…_'

The boat was back and she was peering around it. Looking at the cage. A small person was inside, dressed in a red wetsuit and a small oxygen tank on the back, goggles over eyes, and a mask to help them breathe. A small hand was reaching out, running along the side of a curious reef shark that was investigating the cage.

The figure turned in her direction, but she backed up to hide behind the hull of the boat. Webbed hands, light turquoise, were suddenly in her vision, strings of white hair dancing around her eyes.

"Phantom?" she whispered, swimming beside him as he started to swim on his own. Taking a deep breath, she followed after him, hand back on his forehead as he tried to push her back to the surface.

But the boat had returned, and the figure was still looking in her direction. She felt herself get curious before coming out from her hiding spot and getting closer to the cage. Valerie felt her own shock when she realized she was looking at her younger self.

"_Hi_,"_ a young voice came from her, a webbed hand waving._

_She waved back, skin crinkling around her eyes filled with excitement_. Valerie knows that she's smiling under her oxygen mask.

"_Are you a human?"_

_She nodded, reaching out to the one in front of her. The webbed hand held her small hand. Talons gently scraped over the glove covered-hand to inspect the space between the fingers._

"_You're really pretty!" A light laugh. Dark skin blushing as a flurry of bubbles left the mask on her face. A dolphin whistled in the background. "Sorry, my mom's calling me. I gotta go!"_

Phantom pushed her out of the water, her mouth opening automatically as she took in a deep breath of air. The shark shook, seeming to fully knock back the effects of his drug.

'_I'm awake!_' he declared.

"Gotta ask you something important," she panted, looking into his red eyes. "Have we met before?"

**Here is a line!**

Damon wasn't sure what to think of the images from Phantom. A shark's brain doesn't develop like this, the body doesn't. It also looks like he's carrying around a few spare organs that aren't even in use. What kind of shark do they even have?

A knock on his door startled him from the images. "Come in!" he called.

The door opened, showing his daughter with a towel around her head. "Hey," she greeted with a small smile, closing the door behind her.

"Hey, honey, you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine. Just a bit frustrated because of what they put Phantom through," she answered, dropping into the chair in front of his desk. "Do you know what they used on him?"

"Low dose elephant sedative," he answered. "He woke so easily from what we normally use on sharks that Mister Masters suggested we use something else. He provided it and told us how much to use. Have you seen the results?"

"Daddy, I have a question," she informed hesitantly. He looked to her with undivided attention. "This is going to sound ridiculous, but… When I was a kid, did I ever say I saw a mermaid?"

He chuckled. "You did, but you said it was a boy and not a girl," he replied with a fond smile. "And that a dolphin called him away. And he was nothing like King Triton." They shared a laugh at that, Damon leaning back into his chair. "What brought this on, Valerie?"

"I know this is going to sound crazy, Daddy, but I need you to believe me," she pleaded. "I think that boy mermaid I said I saw as a kid… I think it was Phantom."

"Why would you think something like that? I know he's odd-looking, but he's just a shark," Damon pointed out worriedly.

"He's more than that! He…" She sighed, leaning forth to cross her arms on his desk. "He talks to me. Telepathically." Seeing his doubtful expression, she quickly added, "He's been doing it for a couple of weeks! I haven't said anything because I know no one would believe me! But he does! He talks to me. And when he was sedated… I think I saw one of his memories. I saw myself in the shark cage when I was, like, maybe six? He came right up to me.

"That's why he wasn't aggressive to me when I first saw him! Because he recognized me! He remembered me! And Daddy… I know it's crazy, but he is a real merman! I've seen him! I talked to him!"

"Valerie, I think you need a break from here," he interrupted. "I know this is a fascinating discovery and everything, but your imagination is getting out of hand. Listen to yourself."

"Give me a chance to prove it!" she challenged. "Tonight! Please. Just this one chance. If you still think I'm wrong, then I guess it is all in my head."

Sighing, Damon rubbed his forehead and closed his eyes. It wasn't often his daughter got this adamant over much. He supposed he could amuse her, then help her step away from whatever she was creating in her mind.

He remembers her claims of seeing the 'mer-boy' when she was a child. He could still see her bouncing on the boat, leaning over the edge to try and see him again. Claiming the mer-boy called her pretty. He thought it was just his daughter being a child with an active imagination. Most girls do dream of mermaids and unicorns and other such fantastical creatures.

By now, though, Valerie knows there is little to no chance of a mermaid in the ocean. At least, nothing beyond the occasional hoax or false body found. But she seems to really believe what she is saying.

"Alright. Tonight. But if you are wrong, then you take a few days off and clear your head. Deal?"

"Deal!" She jumped up from the chair and ran around the desk, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "Thank you, Daddy!"

**Here the Chapter Ends**

**So next chapter, Valerie tries to reveal Phantom to her father. Will it work? Or will she be made to look insane? Wait and find out! Tune in next time for the answers!**

**Let me know what you think! Buh-bye!**


	7. Father Meets Merman

**Okay. The moment of truth. Will Valerie prove to her father that she isn't crazy? Or will Phantom be an ass and make her look insane? Let's find out!**

**Disclaimer: Do not own any Danny Phantom or random references.**

**Here the Chapter Starts**

As luck would have it, their security system went on the fritz and the cameras were shut down until they could be repaired tomorrow morning. Meaning she did not have to try and convince Nathan to shut them down. She and her father could just waltz right up to the pool and she could prove that she's telling the truth.

Of course her first sign that this wouldn't be as easy as she thought should have been the tank without the shark.

"Where is the shark?" he asked, looking around with furrowed brows. Was the beast moved and no one said anything?

"Cameras are down," she sighed once she realized what happened. "He got out."

"He got out?" Damon repeated skeptically, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, he changes into this sorta human body and walks around," she explained. "I think he's inside. He's after Vlad!" Gasping, she ran into the building, looking down the halls in hopes of spotting him.

"Valerie!" her father called to her.

"Stay close and stay quiet!" she hissed, running between the inside pools and into the entrance part of the building. The large aquarium took up most of the space, but she thought she could see something through it. A hand grabbed her arm, her father trying to stop her, but she grabbed his wrist and put a finger to her lips. Waving her hand, she motioned him to follow.

As silently as possible, they circled around the aquarium, a pair of voices reaching their ears. One she knew, the other was new. Once at the edge, the two looked around to see two figures in front of the aquarium, the more muscular one pacing as he growled under his breath. The other was slimmer, his skin a slimy-looking green and hair a stark white color that was fluffy, almost like he shocked himself.

"I don't know why you're so angry!" the slimmer one proclaimed, throwing his flimsy arms in the air. "I did what you wanted, my liege!"

"You did it when he isn't even here!" Phantom snarled angrily. "Hasn't been here for a week! Nikolai, so help me, I will bite you in half!"

"What the hell is this?" Damon whispered, eyes wide as he stared at the two strange men. Valerie shushed him.

"How am I supposed to know whenever one human is here or not?" the other that Phantom called Nikolai sneered. "I don't watch all day and all night. You're the only one that can identify that human anyway! None of us have ever encountered him before."

"Trust me, this one stands out among the rest of the humans here," the shark merman scoffed. "If you waited and watched, like you should before infiltrating anything, you would know."

"Your orders were to crash their systems so that you can kill one human," Nikolai pointed out. "So I, Technus, Master of Human Technology, crashed their entire security system!"

"Nikolai, I am about to kill you and feed you to a school of pups," Phantom growled. "Piece by piece!"

"Wait here," Valerie whispered to her dad, stepping out of cover before he could grab her. She ignored his desperate calls that he kept at a harsh whisper as she approached the two. "Phantom!" Her voice echoed in the empty room.

The muscular merman turned to her with wide eyes. "Valerie," he returned with a grin. "I wasn't expecting you tonight. Though given the circumstances, I should have. You didn't have to bribe that pathetic human again."

"Forget that! What are you doing in here and who is that?" she demanded, waving her hand to the green-skinned man.

"I am Technus, Master of Human Technology!" the slim male declared.

Blandly, she looked to Phantom. "Is he the octopus?"

"Yes, he's the octopus," the merman replied with a roll of his eyes. "Nikolai was supposed to do this when Masters is around. But he hasn't been here for a few days. From what I have heard, most of his orders come through that machine you call a… phone? Is that it?"

"Yes, sire!"

"Shut up, Nikolai! I am already annoyed with you!"

"You mean that you were planning on killing Vlad Masters if he was here? Tonight?! Phantom, I thought we talked about this," Valerie groaned, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"You talked about it, I ignored the discussion," Phantom clarified. "Besides, this has been a waste of my time. If anything, I am being given free reign to explore my surroundings and learn the layout. So when this idiot does his job correctly, then I will not get lost in this place during my hunt." He let out a small hum of thought. "Well, perhaps it is not a complete waste of my time. Nikolai, you're still losing a couple of limbs."

"Hold it right there!" Damon shouted, jumping out from behind his cover with a pistol in his hands.

Valerie's eyes widened before she put herself in front of Phantom and held out her hand. "Daddy, I really need you to listen to me," she started.

"Get away from them, Valerie!" her father ordered. "They could be dangerous!"

"More so than you think, human!" Nikolai mocked, flexing clawed fingers, under each digit was a line of suction cups leading from each tip down to gather at the palm.

Phantom placed a hand on Valerie's elbow and gently pushed her to the side. "Pull that trigger and see what happens," he warned.

"Dad, no!" Valerie protested, trying to get back between the gun and the merman but Phantom's grip on her elbow wasn't letting her. "Listen to me, Daddy. This is Phantom! This is the shark! The one I said is a merman! Here's the proof! He's right here!"

"Let go of my daughter!" Damon demanded, his gun not wavering.

"I don't think so," Phantom rejected, shaking his head. "She'll put herself in danger to keep you from hurting me, which in turn would make me angry enough to hurt you back. Let her go, she could get hurt protecting both of us. But I am a curious one, so I want to know how far you are willing to go. Take the shot, not knowing if I will put Valerie in the way and get away unscathed, or put that thing down. Your choice."

"You hurt my father and any hope you have of making me your queen are nixed!" Valerie warned sharply.

"You? Our queen?" Nikolai repeated in disbelief. "You're just a human!"

"Nikolai, shut the hell up!" Phantom snarled. "I have decided that Valerie shall be my queen. End of discussion. Protest and lose your life."

The octopus merman swallowed thickly, but bowed. "Of course, sire…"

"As for you, my dear, you drive a hard bargain," Phantom directed to Valerie, releasing his grip on her. "But I will accept your terms. Your sire will come to no harm from me. So long as he does not harm me in return."

"Valerie," Damon called to her. "Come over here right now."

"Dad, just put the gun down and let me explain," she pleaded, holding a hand out to signal her father to lower the weapon. "Please. This is still my one chance. Remember? You promised me that."

Teeth clenched, Damon nodded and lowered the gun, but kept it in a position where he could easily lift it back up and shoot quickly if he needs to. "Only chance," he reminded.

"Nice to see we can all play along nicely," Phantom taunted. "Though the less humans that know about us would be preferable, I can see Valerie's decision was important to her. So I won't protest or make you think this is all an elaborate dream. As for you, Nikolai-"

"Technus!"

"Shut up. You sabotaged the system too soon! It will be repaired tomorrow. So like me, you shall remain here until this matter with Masters is dealt with. You will get in that tank right there and you will watch for him. When you know he is here for a night, then you can trash their systems again and we can get this done."

Nikolai muttered under his breath and crossed his arms as his legs started to split into six long and wriggling tentacles, much to Valerie and Damon's shock. "As you wish, my liege," the octopus merman accepted as he started crawling up the wall of the aquarium in order to get inside.

"Liege?" Damon repeated in a whisper, still wary of the man that was an obvious threat to his daughter.

"I earned the title," Phantom shot back with a smug grin. "I did kill the last king, after all."

"You know, you promised me that story," Valerie pointed out, crossing her arms and looking up at him.

Phantom shook his head, rolling his eyes to the sky with a huff. "I suppose I could brag about my battle," he conceded. "Especially since you seem so eager to hear of my accomplishments. His name was Pariah Dark and he was one of the last ancients that still roamed the sea. He was a old, old Leviathan, at least that is what you humans dubbed them as."

"Are you serious?!" Valerie exclaimed. "Leviathans are extinct!"

"I said he was old," Phantom reminded. "Of course he was also frozen for a few thousand years in the ice up north. Anyway, the battle lasted days. He threw several of his soldiers at me to tire me out. But I defeated each and every one of them, including his best."

"I'm going to interrupt here," Damon cut in, still tense and grip on his weapon still tight. "Explain what you are and what you are doing here."

Phantom growled under his breath and scoffed. "You were already told what I am," he stated. "As for why I am still here, I aim to kill Vlad Masters before he hunts my kind to extinction. Or worse, turns them into his new experiments."

"Wait a second, you want to **kill **Vlad Masters?!"

"Yes."

"Don't even try to talk him out of it because, apparently, he ignores it," Valerie told her father with a glare being directed at the merman.

"Valerie, honey, could you come here and talk to me for a second," Damon suggested, though it sounded more like an order.

Silently signaling to Phantom to stay where he is, Valerie went over to her father, who was still casting glances to the shark merman that was entertaining himself by watching the fish in the aquarium. "What is going on here?" he asked in a harsh whisper.

"I don't really know," she replied with a shrug. "Danny, Sam, and Tucker just suggested that I try and see if Phantom was going to show me something with the cameras off. That was a few nights ago. And I still haven't gotten him to tell me what his problem with Mister Masters is, but he's pretty stubborn about killing him." She stole a glance to Phantom, watching him focus solely on the new resident, the green octopus.

"And this 'queen' business?" Damon demanded. It did not settle well with him, some strange man thinking he has some kind of claim over his daughter. Over his dead body, first!

She sighed, her body seeming to sag. "He thinks he has a way that can turn me into a mermaid because I am the perfect one to be his queen. I think he's just a little nuts there, but let him live his delusion."

"It's not a delusion," Phantom called out.

"Stop eavesdropping," she hissed, pointing to the smirking merman. "And put something on!"

He shook his head with a grin. "And deny you such a view? Perish the thought, my dear."

Damon inhaled deeply, placing a hand on his forehead and rubbing his eyes. Either both he and his daughter are insane, or there are actually two supposed mermen right in front of them. All signs are pointing to the latter. "You do realize that this can't be kept a secret," he informed his daughter.

"Daddy, no one else can know," she pleaded.

"This is too big for the two of us! Besides, if we study them better, maybe we can find out-"

"Masters already knows," Phantom reminded calmly, approaching the two. "Hence why he refuses to let me go. If I wanted, I could escape quite easily. But now that I know he's here, I can end him."

"Wait, he knows you're a…" The man waved his hand up and down to gesture what he meant without saying it.

"Yes, he's encountered my kind before," the merman replied with a sharp nod. "Most he gets his hands on either die or escape from him, and do their best to stay out of his hands."

"What about you?" Valerie asked, crossing her arms. He turned away. "Phantom, the MRI on you showed that you have a chip in your back under a layer of muscle. That didn't get there because you put it there. And I saw a scar on the back of your neck."

He huffed. "I was lucky to escape," he answered, his voice somber. "My mother was lucky enough to die before he could do anything more to her."

Valerie's eyes widen in surprise, not expecting such news. Her hand covered her mouth as her breaths shuddered. No wonder Phantom hates Vlad so much if the man is responsible for the death of the merman's mother.

"That chip in me," Phantom directed to her. "You need to get it out. And when you do, make sure Masters does not get his hands on it."

"What could be on it that is so valuable?" Damon inquired.

"Everything," Phantom growled. "More than likely, everywhere I had been since I escaped, including the place where all merfolk gather, the closest we have to a city. If he finds out where that is, my people are doomed."

"What if we just leave it where it is?" Valerie suggested. "He can't touch you, no one but I can."

"Because I let you," he pointed out. "Masters has access to things that can knock a blue whale unconscious. He's testing which one would work best on me so that he can get to the chip. But he can't get it if you get it first and destroy it."

"Can't believe I'm going along with this," Damon groaned, holstering the pistol. "We don't know where it is exactly when you're like this. But if we get you to the lab and you… change back… we can find it and remove it."

"And destroy it," Phantom added firmly.

Damon nodded in acceptance. "Let's get you to the lab and get to work before someone can catch us."

**Here is a line!**

Damon was the one that was volunteered to surgically remove the chip since Valerie did not have enough experience medical wise. She didn't want to risk severing a tendon or slicing through something that would cause the shark to become weak. So, dressed in a swimsuit she packed away, she was in the water with the shark while Damon brought over a tray with tools, the shark against the side of the pool.

"You don't mention your father a lot," Valerie pointed out, earning a quirked brow from her father. "Telepathic, Daddy. Remember?"

"I'll believe that when I see it," Damon returned before he started to sterilize the area he was about to cut into. He could see a faint scar about a foot in front of the dorsal fin, probably where he was cut into in order to place the chip.

'_He is dead,_' Phantom replied with a low snarl.

"What happened? You sound like you don't even like him," she commented, scooping up some water to pour over his head when his skin started to feel a bit dry.

'_My sire was a coward that abandoned my mother and I when we were captured,_' the shark stated, his lips twitching up to bare his sharp teeth. '_When I encountered him again, I killed him._'

"Do you just enjoying killing or something? Wait, probably a shark thing."

'_I enjoy killing certain individuals_.' Phantom suddenly growled and tensed, but did not thrash as a scalpel dug into his skin.

She hummed, thinking of a subject change that they could take but wasn't sure how the shark would react to it. "Can you tell me about your mother? You seem like you were really close to her."

Phantom chuckled, lips somehow twisting into a smirk. '_My mother was strong and stubborn when my sire wasn't restricting her. I was young when we were caught, and she did everything in her power to keep them focused on her so that I would be left alone. I don't know how long we were stuck there, but I watched her starve herself, giving her food to me so that I could keep going. If I refused to eat until she ate something, she scolded me and would nag me until I ate half the meal. I gave the rest back to her._'

"She obviously loved you," Valerie mused, glancing over to see her father pulling back a thick layer of skin. "What did she look like?"

Instead of answering, an image flashed in her mind. A red hourglass dolphin with bright teal markings guiding her through the water, leaping out for a breath then diving back in. They went deeper until light barely penetrated the depths before she changed into her halfa form, her skin light teal and hair deep red. Her eyes were like blue crystals, gleaming in the darkness. Her smile was bright, framed by red lips as she reached out for her hand. No, for Phantom's hand. Another memory.

Blinking, the image was gone and Valerie smiled gently. "She was beautiful."

'_She was._'

Another glanced to Damon showed that he was starting to spread the shark's muscles to create a space large enough for him to grab the chip.

'_Where is your mother, if I may ask?_'

"That's… well, let's just say we have something in common," she confessed. "Mom got sick and one day, she just… went to sleep." She could see from her peripherals that Damon froze for a moment, eyes starting to shine with liquid before he took a deep breath and went back to work. "She didn't wake up. I was just a little kid when it happened."

The shark let out a sharp but low snarl as Damon's hand suddenly jerked back, a pair of curved hemostats in his hand. "Got it," he announced, holding the tool in the air. Pinched between the tips of the hemostats, a bloody chip with a small light on a corner. He placed it on the tray, grabbed a pair of needle drivers and thick sutures, then went back to the surgical site. "I just need to stitch him up and we're good."

"Hopefully no one will notice anything," Valerie said lowly. With a small smile on her lips, she looked back to Phantom, leaning over to look into his red eye. "You going to finish that story now?"

'_Ah, yes! Well, as I was saying, he threw multiple nothings at me, including his best fighter, the King's Guard, the Fright Knight, a merman of the swordfish species. He was the one to leave that injury on me. Seeing me wounded and tiring, Pariah Dark struck and swallowed me whole._'

"No way!" she protested. "How the hell did you survive being swallowed by a leviathan?"

"He did what?" Damon piped up in disbelief.

'_Simple. I tore my way out of his throat. Then I made sure to tear his heart to pieces first, then his lungs for good measure, and swam right out of his mouth as he choked to death. You would be surprised how much extra space there was in his body for something my size to move through. Regardless, I had succeeded in slaying the former king, thus became the new king myself._'

"Okay, that's a bit disgusting," she groaned with a fake gag, shaking her head. "I was not expecting that!"

'_Ordinaries ate well that day._'

"Please stop now."

**Here the Chapter Ends**

**I bet everyone was expecting a big story of a valiant battle like 'David and Goliath'. But no. Phantom got swallowed then ate his way out. **

**But now we have a little bit of a history between Vlad and Phantom. Was trying to figure out how to work it in there, but there it is! ^^ Hope you guys enjoyed it! ^^ Let me know what you think!**


	8. Silent Thoughts

**So what shall happen now that the facility has two mermen in it? That remains to be seen. Let's explore the concept!**

**Disclaimer: Do not own Danny Phantom or any random references.**

**Here the Chapter Starts**

A quick inspection five days later showed that the small incision made had healed over enough that no one would really notice it. Phantom stayed still for her to remove the stitches before anyone was brave enough to take a closer look. Thanks to his fear-inducing attitude towards everyone, no one dared get too close to him, so no one could see it even if they wanted to.

She had also taken to checking in on Nikolai, though they couldn't connect mentally. She wasn't sure if it was her 'overly active mind' or the glass between them, or maybe Nikolai just wasn't trying. He seemed to like using his limbs in a weird game of Charades to tell her anything. As long as he wasn't eating the fish in the tank, she was fine leaving him alone. Even sneaking him some food once in a while if only to preserve the rest of the fish in the aquarium.

Try as she might, though, Phantom refused to let Damon touch him in order to speak with him telepathically. It has proven to be more difficult than she thought, even whenever she swims in the tank with him and tries to verbally bully him into showing her father that it is possible. Day three after the surgery was when Phantom let Damon place a hand on him long enough to send him a quick thought before he pulled away.

That 'quick thought' was more along the lines of claiming Valerie as his, which Damon did not appreciate, and he informed the shark as such. Valerie, used to such claims, only rolled her eyes as the man went into full father mode while Phantom acted like the non-intimidated boyfriend announcing that he was taking Valerie away to elope. Which she doesn't doubt the merman probably did say.

Day six after surgery was when things got a bit chaotic.

Valerie sat on the deck, reading 'The Hobbit' out loud with a very attentive shark occasionally bumping her bare feet with his head to ask a question in the middle of reading. She had to remind him several times that it was a fictional story, thus nothing had to make sense to them. Regardless, he seemed to be enjoying the story.

It was in the middle of the sixth chapter when raised voices inside the building grabbed her attention. Curious and worried, she folded the corner of the page and got to her feet as she closed the book. Shaking the water off her feet, she descended from the steps of the deck, watching through the windows what seemed to be some sort of altercation.

Then the doors opened and she realized what the problem is. Jack and Maddie Fenton, dressed in their usual jumpsuits, orange for Jack and blue for Maddie. Damon was following after them his voice loud and authoritative.

"You can't just barge in and demand one of our specimens!" he informed harshly.

"Where is it?" Maddie asked politely, giving Damon a small smile.

"Mr. and Mrs. Fenton!" Valerie greeted with a smile and a nervous wave. "Hi, it's been such a long time!"

"Valerie! Good to see you again!" Jack returned, smiling brightly as soon as he spotted her. "Heard you got your hands on a real mermaid!"

"Where would you hear something like that?" she laughed, hands on her hips as she shook her head. "We get all kinds of species here, but I haven't seen any mermaids. I doubt even we could keep that quiet."

"Valerie, sweetie, we know something is going on," Maddie stated, placing a hand on the young woman's shoulder. "When Danny called us asking for copies of our mermaid research, well the only friend he has that we know is interested in marine life is you. And given how skeptical you and your father are, asking for that kind of research must mean you have something."

"We get all kinds of interesting things," she tried to convince. "I was just curious!"

"Maddie! It's the leader!" Jack suddenly declared, somehow getting to the deck without Valerie knowing it and looking into the pool.

Before Valerie could stop her, Maddie had rushed to the deck and stared into the water, her brows up. "Amazing! We've never seen him up close! He's…incredible!"

Phantom had gone down to the bottom of the pool, almost against the wall as he snapped his jaws in warning at the couple. Grabbing Maddie while Damon grabbed Jack, Valerie pointed out, "And very aggressive! He's been known to jump onto the deck to try and bite people!" Pulling the couple off the deck, the two were released. "As you could clearly see, he's just a shark. Not a mermaid. Or would it be 'merman' since he's male?"

"'Merman' would be proper considering gender, but it's just an animal," Maddie replied. "So it doesn't really matter."

"Yes it does," Valerie argued with an angry huff, crossing her arms. "Just like it does with dogs and cats and people."

"Of course, sweetie, but what I meant was that it won't really matter once we get him to our lab," the redhead clarified.

"The shark won't be going anywhere outside this facility," Damon informed firmly. "Not to mention we couldn't, in good conscience, just hand one of our animals over to be killed and dissected by a pair of loons."

"Loons?!" Jack exclaimed. "We seem to be the only ones with our heads on right!"

"Jack, let me," his wife cut in, patting his arms before her face snapped into anger. "We have as much right to it as you do! We are scientists in the paranormal and supernatural! It's obvious that shark isn't a normal shark!"

"If you mean the coloring, it's a genetic mutation that actually shows up every few generations," Valerie commented knowingly, as though she had spent a lot of time trying to find out the information herself. In truth, she was completely winging it. "It's been getting more frequent now to help sharks camouflage in the water easier to get prey like seals. Fish can't see well in the water, but aquatic mammals can see better than them. A lot can see predators coming and manage to get a head start in order to get away. It's evolution."

Maddie laughed out an 'oh' rather sarcastically. "If that is what you want to believe, but we've been hunting these things, and other such creatures, for decades. We know what you actually have. And Valerie, I'm sorry to break this to you, but it's not a shark. Just let us have it! Your facility can't handle such a specimen."

"Phantom has been here for weeks, and we've been handling him just fine!" Valerie snapped. "He's not some mythical creature! He's just a unique shark! Besides, without Mister Masters giving authorization, we cannot legally release any of our specimens to anyone. You just taking one counts as stealing from private property, and us just giving one to you is being an accomplice to a crime. Legally, you cannot take this shark from here unless the CEO and owner of this facility says you can. Try it and we will call the police."

"V-man runs this place?" Jack asked in amazement. "Well then, we should give him a call!" He started to pat down his pockets then frowned as each one failed to produce what he was seeking. "Maddie, do you have my phone?"

She started to dig into her own pockets with one hand, soon followed by the other. "I don't even have my own," she announced. "Well then, we'll just get a hold of Vlad as soon as we get them. Once this is all settled, we'll come back to collect the mermaid."

"He's male and a shark," Valerie pointed out as the two started to leave. Sighing heavily, she went to her father. "I'm sorry. This was my fault."

"No, it's okay," Damon reassured, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "You had no way of knowing they would come here."

She shook her head. "I should have expected it, though. Mrs. Fenton is more observation than Mr. Fenton, so this would have happened eventually."

"That doesn't make it your fault," her father said gently, giving her a brief squeeze. "I better make sure they leave without anymore incidents."

Valerie let out a soft huff of a laugh as she watched her father go back inside, quickly catching up to the couple that looked like they were observing a leatherback turtle brought in yesterday. Poor thing was hit by a boat and was found on the beach by wildlife personnel.

"You make a rather convincing liar."

A gasp slipped out a she spun around, seeing Phantom peeking at her from underneath the deck. "What are you doing? Someone could see you!"

"Not with those cameras," the merman pointed out. "It's taken a while, but Nikolai has told me of the blind spots. They also cannot see the bottom of this cage."

"It's a pool, tank, or enclosure, not a cage," she informed as she got back on the deck, snatching her book from where she thought it would be safe. "I can't believe them! I mean, yeah, it would be really cool to study merpeople. But to think that they're no better than a common animal? And that they can treat them as less than that? It's… disgusting!"

Phantom chuckled lowly, nodding along with her rant. Yet another reason why he believes Valerie would be an excellent queen. One, she doesn't back down from challenges. She may get shocked occasionally, but she eventually bounces back. Rather quickly, he may add. And two, her compassion and empathy to all life is quite admirable. He knows he himself can be quite cruel and aggressive, but Valerie could balance him out perfectly.

Now he just needs to kill Masters, along with his accomplice that he has not informed Valerie of (for her own safety), and convince Clockwork to give him what he needs to change Valerie from a human into a mermaid. Such an act, thought to be no more than a myth, is held only in that damn ancient's lineage. And Clockwork, unless he takes a mate, is the last in his line. He is old, thought to be older than even Pariah Dark. Even among merfolk, Pariah Dark would be considered in his elderly years. Clockwork? No one really knows for sure because he hides himself away unless he is needed.

Rumors in the sunken city say that he is either a giant ray or an old frilled shark, a few even speculating that he may even be a dunkleosteus, though Phantom has always thought that one was stupid. That type of fish died off before merfolk started evolving. No matter. He will find Clockwork, he will get the secret from him, and then he will have Valerie as his queen. She will eventually see that life in the ocean with him is much better than the boring, stressful, harsh life on land.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Valerie inquired, her feet back in the water.

Smirking, he ran the tip of his claw underneath one foot, causing her to jerk her foot back with a poorly stifled giggle. "I do not know what a 'penny' even is," he told her.

"It means 'what's on your mind'," she translated. "You got real quiet all of a sudden, I thought you turned back into a shark."

"Just… plans," Phantom replied. "Keep reading that story. It sounds like it is about to get interesting."

"Yes, 'your highness'," she mocked playfully as she opened the book to the folded page.

She may think it is fun to tease him over his title, but he couldn't help the grin from stretching his lips while thinking of all the others calling her the same thing. For now, he was content to change back into his shark form and simply listen.

**Here is a line!**

Thunder rumbled overhead, lightning illuminating the dark clouds above. Valerie stepped out onto her patio, dressed in her satin nightgown and a robe. From where she was, she could see the ocean churning harshly, rough waves angrily slapping the beach. A loud eruption from the sky and a flash of lightning striking the ground.

The sudden strike made her jump and her hand clutch her robe. Realizing that this storm will be a bad one, she went back inside and locked her door then closed the curtains. An explosion and flash of blue followed by the power suddenly dying told her exactly what just happened.

"Damn," she cursed, looking around her pitch-black home. A transformer blew, causing a power outage. Hopefully all the animals at the facility are secure and safe from the storm, outside pools covered if possible.

Stumbling around with her hand outstretched, she managed to find her flashlight, quickly clicking it on as soon as it was in her hand. Not that she wasn't expecting a lot in her home, seeing as it is only her and the place isn't that big, but she didn't want to navigate in the dark and stub a toe. Still, nighttime brings out individuals that would take advantage of a power outage and she refuses to be caught off guard.

Planting herself on her sofa, she waited for the electric company to get the power up and running. It could take hours before it is back on, but she didn't feel safe enough to go to her bedroom. The news has been ripe with stories of burglaries, murders, and rapes happening in the victim's homes. The world has just been going to hell in a handbasket.

Such thoughts often tempt her to accepting Phantom's continuous proposal. She doubts that there is a way for her to live in the ocean with him, but it was sometimes nice to entertain those thoughts.

Even though life among the merfolk sounds harsh, it is also survival and they have rules in place. No rapes. No stealing. Mostly just fights, often to the death, and occasionally fair trades. According to Phantom, most merfolk leave each other alone since the ocean is big enough for all of them to have their own space. They only all gather in their 'sunken city' (as he calls it) once a season for one reason or another.

Occasional territory fights could happen, though only if invasion was intentional. They don't jump into fights, but confront first. Ask questions. Whenever someone is coming onto another's territory just to trade, they don't even enter the den without permission. Fights only happen if a challenge is being issued or someone wanted something but didn't want to trade for it. Those fights don't end in death, just the defeated conceding to the winner. Territory fights could end in death.

A rough life, certainly, but still a tempting one. To see the oceanic world as deep as one could swim, interacting with all species and learning about whole new ones. She could witness things that researchers spent years trying to get on camera.

Still, as tempting as it is, she couldn't leave her father or her friends. All Damon has is her since her mother passed away. She couldn't just leave him all alone. Even now, able to support herself, he still looks after her and is by her side the second she needs any help. He has taken to stepping back a bit to let her grow and learn on her own, to handle her own responsibilities, but he still works so hard so that he could help when she needs it.

Leaving him all alone might be one of the worst things she could do to him. Why can't the damn merman understand that?

The lights flickered over her for a brief moment but went back out. Grabbing her cellphone nearby, she noted that she had been sitting here for quite a while. It's already midnight, and it was almost ten when she went outside earlier. Just as she locked the phone, the lights came back on and her fridge let out a low hum, signaling that it is working now.

Sighing, she got to her feet and turned the lamps off, only to freeze when she felt eyes on her. Flashlight still in hand, she looked around her home, eyes training on every shadow and focusing on the windows. Just to be sure, she went to each window and looked outside, keeping close to the wall. Another scan of the living room and kitchen showed no one in the house.

"Hopefully just getting paranoid," Valerie muttered to herself as she retreated to her bedroom. Thankfully, the door came with a lock, which she put into use as soon as the door was closed behind her. Her windows are not blocked, but there are small tables, chairs, and even her desk under them. If anyone tries to come in through them, they'll make enough noise to wake the dead.

Well, so long as the dreams Phantom sends her don't get too distracting. And the merman doesn't get too grabby in the dream, too.

**Here the Chapter Ends**

**So got a bit of a mention of Clockwork, the advisor to the king that no one has ever freaking seen. And Valerie feels someone is watching her…but who? Find out later on!**

**Just let me know what you guys think of the story so far. Numbers say you like it, but it feels good to get some feedback. You know? Don't have to, just saying.**


	9. Rescue

**Well as author's always say, you can't have a good story without some kind of drama. Not sure how much I've been putting into here so far, but this chapter will have quite a bit of it. If I do it right...**

**Wish me luck! And enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Nope. Still don't own Danny Phantom or random references.**

**Here the Chapter Starts**

She could see it from her patio. A mass of people scattered across the beach, groups crowding around animals stranded on the sand from the storm. As much as she knew she should get to work, she couldn't ignore the sight.

A quick phone call to her father, followed by countless reassurances that Phantom will behave for him until she gets to the facility, settled her coming in a hour or so late. The beach was the first place she ran to. Gathering up the people and instructing them on how to safely get the animals back into the water without getting hurt, the work was done rather quickly.

There was, however, a problem that she spotted. A poor juvenile dolphin about twenty meters out was tangled up in some netting, struggling to get to the surface long enough to get a breath of air. Shedding the jacket she wore only for protective purposes (some of the beached animals were small sharks and their skin is rough), she waded into the water then swam over as calmly as she could. The dolphin cried out in panic as it tried to leap, but the netting pulled it back down.

Taking a deep breath, Valerie submerged, finding the problem quickly. The netting was caught on a bit of sunken wooden planks, the wet earth holding those in place. The net got tangled around one board and snagged on another laying across the first. Grabbing the net with her fingers, she pulled herself up to the dolphin and broke the surface for another gulp of air.

Seeming to know what she was doing, the dolphin went back underwater with her and stayed still long enough for her to untangle the net enough to get it off the dolphin. Once free, the juvenile clicked happily, bumping her arm before quickly swimming to the surface and leaping out with a squeal of freedom. She swam up as well, bringing the net with her so that it wouldn't trap anymore creatures.

Breaking the surface, she was faced with the cheers and claps of her success from the beach. She smiled as she kicked her legs, but felt herself being carried away for a moment. Undertow, she realized as a wave pushed her forth. Not wanting to get caught with a stronger one, but also not wanting to drop the netting she has bundled in her arms, Valerie dove down to swim as far as she could under the surface.

But she was snatched away, the undertow stronger this time. When she broke the surface again for air, she saw that she was further than she started out to be. "Shit!" she swore, regretfully letting the net go in order to use her arms for a stronger breaststroke back to the beach. Or so she hoped to do when a sudden riptide caught hold of her and swept her under. Before her vision was clouded by seawater, she could see people getting in the water to try and get to her.

The current was too strong for her to get out of until it spat her back out. She wasn't sure how far it took her and was amazed she held her breath for so long. Carefully, she kicked her legs and hoped the strong current wouldn't catch her again. Once she surfaced and was looking around, she spotted the beach in the distance. Avoiding any splashing since she is in an area where sharks could be, especially the ones that were beached just moments ago, she swam.

But the water was refusing to let her go. It pulled her back then slapped her down with each wave. Each time she got back to the surface, she was further and further away. "Help!" she cried out loudly. "Help! I'm over here!" Another wave slammed down on her, knocking her back into the water in a tumble. She felt something hit her side, nearly causing her to release what air she held in her lungs.

To her horror, a trail of red started mixing in with the water. She hit coral and it had broken skin. She had to get out of the water before sharks start investigating the scent of blood. She spotted a chain not too far away, something on the surface being anchored down. Quickly swimming to it, she was relieved to see a weather buoy on the surface, rocking back and forth with the churning water.

Seeing a shadow in the distance, she quickly rose to the surface and practically scrambled to get on the buoy. She barely made it in time. A large shark had barely missed her feet, but was circling the buoy now because that is where the scent of blood is. Hand on her injury, she saw that it was more of a cut than a puncture, definitely in need of stitches. Red flowed freely from the wound, as well as down the buoy and into the water. More sharks will be here soon, and the buoy isn't big enough for her to hold onto indefinitely.

Hopefully someone will be out here soon to get her. So long as she doesn't panic and stays where she is, everything should be fine. Carefully, she ripped off a bit of her pant leg to use as a wrap for the injury. Pressure should slow down the bleeding, and without the blood attracting the sharks, they should go away on their own.

A shiver shook her whole body, pinpricks rising on her skin as her eyes got wide. The buoy gave a harsh jerk that almost knocked her off, the shark underwater probably snagging the chain momentarily. But the chains are strong. They have to be in order to keep the devices from going too far in harsh weather.

She just has to wait, she told herself. Someone will come out here. A rescue team will be sent out and she will be found in no time so long as she stays right here. Helicopter or boat, she will be found.

The weather buoy jerked again, dorsal and upper caudal fins popping out of the water close enough that the shark bumped the buoy once more. Letting out a shivering exhale as the wind ran along the water and enveloped her, she hoped it wouldn't take too long to be found.

**Here is a line!**

Something is wrong and it is driving him nuts because he can't tell what it is. With all these humans around, he can't just shift and speak with Valerie's sire. And he only allows Valerie to touch him. As his future queen, she is the only one with the right. He just can't seem to get her to understand that. Regardless, he needs to get out of this tank and find out what it making his senses go haywire like this.

Phantom growled irritably as Damon crouched on the deck above him. "She'll be here soon," he promised. "There were beached animals and she went to help."

'Not my problem,' the shark thought to himself. Honestly, he should be Valerie's number one priority, but she is a bit of a softy. Not in a bad way, just a little annoying at times.

The human was called away, leaving Phantom to his thoughts once more. He tried to push the connection between him and Valerie, trying to get past her usually occupied mind in order to find out where she is and why she is taking so long. But when he did manage to connect with her, he sensed fear. Suppressed fear, but still fear.

Something is terribly wrong. His Valerie doesn't express fear. Meaning she has to be in real danger. And he can't get out with these damn cameras and humans everywhere!

'_Nikolai_!' he called out telepathically, making sure his fury will be known as he angrily thrashed in his cage.

'_I didn't do anything_!' he received back. _'…Yet_.'

'_Get to those cameras and shut them off_!' he snarled out his order. '_I need to get out of here. Now_!'

For a moment, the octopus didn't answer. When he did, it was dutiful, but also a bit terrified. '_At once, my liege_.'

Voices above the cage drew his attention. Curiosity is what made him get close enough to the surface to listen.

"We can't release him without Mister Masters' authorization!" someone was saying to his queen's sire.

"I won't hear it!" he shot back. "Valerie is out there, and this shark can find her faster than any of the rescue teams! Move him to the lagoon!"

'_Hold it, Nikolai… Forget that order and just stay put…_'

"You can't guarantee that this shark will even go straight to her, or how we can recapture him once he's free. If Mister Masters learns about this, it could cost all of us our jobs!"

"We'll put a tracker on him to keep track of his movements. Get that catcher over here!"

He splashed the water harshly, bringing attention to him.

"Without Valerie here, we can't even guarantee being able to get him out of the tank without at least a mild sedative." Another human, one he recognizes as the human often speaking to his Valerie.

"He won't fight us," the sire informed as he crouched down on the deck. "Listen. Valerie got swept out to sea by a riptide. No one has found her yet. I need to put a tracker on you so that we can follow. You lead us to her, we can get her to safety."

"I doubt that dumb shark can even understand what you're saying," the human with the 'catcher' scoffed. Well then, that human can die alongside Masters. Doubting his superior intelligence? The nerve!

"He understands," he informed sharply, then directed back to Phantom, "So will you cooperate with us and help us find my daughter?"

That's a stupid question if Phantom ever heard one. Still, he nodded and swam into the catcher once it was in the water, waiting to be pulled out.

"Get the boat ready to follow! Start opening those gates! Kwan, you're with me! She may be hurt."

Phantom saw the device in his hand, but allowed it to be pressed to his fin. A sharp pinch was all he felt before he was swung over to the small body of water with gates keeping it separate from the ocean.

So close to freedom… but he has targets to remove first. For now, though, he has to get his queen.

**Here is a line!**

She groaned lowly. How long as she been stuck out here? The sharks that were circling her eventually went away since she stopped bleeding. So that threat is gone.

Her lips are dry, her throat dry, and her skin is burning. Her stomach grumbled for food, but it's been doing that since shortly after the riptide took her. The sun was getting higher in the sky, but she can't read it to know how long she's been on this buoy.

A splash caught her attention, causing her to twist around in order to find the source. Another splash drew her attention to her right, but she couldn't see anything. Is something else around her now? Another shark? A dolphin playing around? Or is she just imagining it?

Getting back into her former position, no matter how stiff it was making her, she concluded that whatever it was is probably nothing. Her body ached from sitting in a ball while clinging to the weather buoy, trying so hard to stay where she is every time the thing was rocked by a wave or bumped by the creatures large enough to move it.

A flash of color caught her eyes, a gasp escaping her when she spotted the creature floating along the surface coming closer to her. "Wow," she whispered in awe, her eyes taking in the blue body with purple markings, stripes down the bell that formed a circle on the crown. A purple-striped jellyfish. But that coloring isn't right, not even with young ones. Young ones are pinkish with dark tentacles. "Wait a minute," she muttered, dark brows furrowing.

The jelly twisted in order to go back down, the blue tentacles dancing in the water as it dove deeper. Valerie leaned over, still clutching the buoy with one hand, to try and spot it. Odd coloring on a sea creature. According to both Fenton research and Phantom, that meant one thing.

"So you are the one who has captured the attention of our new king," a calm voice said.

Valerie gasped, sitting back up to see a blue-skinned merman with glowing red eyes. Stripes of purple trailed down his body, the ring that was on the bell of the jellyfish around his shoulders. An odd, jagged scar was over his left eye, but it didn't seem to alter his sight any.

"Who are you?" she asked, her voice rough and her throat raw.

"I am the one called Clockwork," he answered. "I saw what you did earlier. I must say, I'm impressed. Everyone who has known of our new king since his fledgling days knows he has been… unstable since his capture. It is good to see he has a taste for decent females. He does require a queen with a kind heart to tame his inner beast."

"Yeah, like that will actually happen," she scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"Who is to say it won't?" he returned with a smirk.

"Because I'm human and he's a merman," Valerie pointed out, indicating to her body. "There is no way."

Clockwork chuckled, drifting closer to her side. "It may be hard to believe, but merfolk have bred with humans before. It is not impossible. Some merfolk have even forsaken their gills and scales just to stay with their human love. The same cannot be said for humans, however, without the right element."

Valerie stared at him with narrow eyes, looking over his form skeptically. "Why does he think he can have me turned into a mermaid?"

"Because you can be, but only if you choose to be," Clockwork replied, twisting himself to stare off into the distance. "Ah, I was quite unsure if he would come for you. Sometimes it is nice to be wrong." He sunk down into the water, ignoring Valerie calling for him. She could barely see the jellyfish under the surface swimming away, disappearing into a nearby cloud of other jellyfish.

"Weirdo," she muttered, pulling herself back against the buoy. She shivered as another gust brought cool wind over her, brushing against her burning skin. A loud splash made her groan. "What now?"

One would not describe the voice she heard as one from an angel. But to her, it damn well sounded like it. "Well, if that is how you feel, dear Valerie, perhaps I should just leave you there."

With a gasp of surprise, she snapped around to see Phantom grinning at her. She couldn't stop the smile on her lips. "Phantom!" she exclaimed, letting herself fall into the water. He was quick to grab hold of her. "Oh my god, I never thought I would be so happy to see you!"

"I could get used to this if you're not careful, my dear," he warned her teasingly as her arms wrapped around his neck and held on as tight as she could. "Let this be a lesson. I always come first. When I don't, the sea punishes you for neglecting the king."

"Jackass," she muttered into his shoulder, slapping his back. "How did you find me?"

"I told you before, we are mentally connected," he informed, angling himself so that he was on his back and she was laying on him. She looked at their position, her legs straddling his hips where human(ish) skin meets sharkskin. If he were in his human form, she knows she would be straddling his groin area, which did make her blush lightly. "I smell your blood. Where are you hurt?"

"Just got scratched by some coral a wave knocked me into," Valerie replied, laying her head on his chest. Her eyes watched the dark slits along his ribcage flex, his gills in his merman form. "I had to get up on that thing before a shark found me. Nearly got bit by one."

"I would have hunted it down and slain it," he assured with a growl, one arm wrapping around her to keep her in place. "How did you end up miles from land?"

"I was helping the beached animals back into the water. There was a dolphin just a couple dozen meters out tangled in a net. I went out to free it and when I was coming back with the net, undertow took me back far enough that a riptide caught me." Sighing heavily, she looked at him with tired eyes. "Can you take me home now?"

"Wait just a moment and your sire will be here," he told her, brushing some hair from her face. "He put a tracker on me in order to follow me to you." He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder to indicate his back, telling Valerie that the tracker was put on his dorsal. "I expect this to be removed as soon as they get here."

"When I do, are you going to leave?" she inquired, leaving no room for doubt that she was planning on removing the tracker.

He can't say the thought hasn't crossed his mind. Returning to the sea was a breath of fresh air after being stuck in such a small area for so long. That water, though still water, was just too unnatural for him. Still, he has his own mission to complete.

"Before killing Masters? No. And especially not before I manage to convince you to accept your role as queen," he denied with a smirk. "I suppose I will just have to suffer such a small space and frozen food for a while longer."

"After this, I am getting fresh fish from the market and heading to you as soon as I get it," Valerie promised with a chuckle, surprised to find herself feeling relief that her shark won't be going anywhere. "My own knight in sharkskin. Sad as it is, I think I prefer that over armor."

They stayed like that for only a moment before an engine approaching alerted them to the boat speeding their way. The closer it got to them, the more it started to slow down until it was feet away, the shifting water trying to push it away but failing as an anchor was dropped.

Damon rushed to the edge of the boat, letting out a relief laugh when he spotted them. "Valerie! Are you okay?"

"Just a small scratch!" she yelled back as Phantom rolled, slipping off easily while he dove down enough to come back up with her on his back. She was surprised to note that, up close, his dorsal ran along his spine, stretched out with the tip between his shoulder blades. And right there at the stretched tip was a device secured to his back. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, she held on as he swam closer to the boat. "Who had the idea to use Phantom?"

"I am not a tool," the merman groused.

"I knew if anyone could find you, it would be him," Damon answered, helping Valerie get on board. "But it also meant revealing himself to someone else."

Valerie froze, looking to her father with wide eyes. "Who?"

Another pair of hands reached down, Kwan grinning brightly as he took one of Valerie's hands to help pull her onto the boat. "Glad to see you're okay, Valerie," he said. The two men pulled her up over the side rails and onto the steady surface of the boat. "You should have seen how much of a terror your dad can be when you're in trouble."

"I have," she replied with a small smile. "Kwan, you'll keep Phantom a secret, right?"

"Well, he did threaten to rip my limbs off and eat them in front of me, so yeah," Kwan replied with a shrug.

Valerie gaped then leaned over the railing to glare at the smirking merman. "What the hell?!"

"It'll keep him quiet," Phantom brushed off.

"Come on, let me look at that," Kwan interrupted, touching the area where Valerie tied her ripped pant leg around herself to cover up her injury. Leading her to a seat and practically forcing her to sit down, he unwrapped the soaked fabric to see the injury underneath. "It'll need stitches, but it could have been worse. Good thing you were on that weather buoy or something would have picked you off."

"Definitely tried," Valerie huffed with a small, tired laugh.

"I'll get some disinfectant for now and proper bandages, but as soon as we're back on land, we should take you to the hospital to be on the safe side," Kwan informed as the boat started moving. Patting her shoulder, he turned to the cabin in search of a first aid kit.

Peeking over the railing, Valerie couldn't see if Phantom was following or not. The water was churning too harshly from the propellers to see if the merman was making any waves if he is following. Though he said he wouldn't leave, if she doesn't remove the tracker, he will be that much easier to find. And if Masters finds out about the tracker, he could use it to hunt the merman down.

Then he suddenly shot out of the water, changing from halfa to humanoid in the air and landing on the deck with a loud _thud_. Rolling his shoulders and popping his neck, he looked to Valerie and held up a clenched hand. "Went looking for this," he offered as an explanation, crouching in front of her.

"Looks like seaweed," she commented, eyes looking over the limp greenery dripping water onto the deck.

He let out a sharp bark of laughter as he shook his head. "When you live in the ocean, you learn how to identify ordinary things with special properties," he stated, pressing the cold, slimy seaweed to the wound. "This seaweed creates a type of salve when it is tore in order to heal itself. It'll keep your wound from getting infected and help speed up the healing."

"It's true what they say," she said with a small smile. "You learn new things every day."

"And once you are my queen, you will have much to learn."

Valerie rolled her eyes. '_Here we go again_,' she thought to herself. Then she looked out over the water thoughtfully, recalling what the jellyfish merman said to her. She can be a mermaid, but only if she chooses to be? It doesn't make any sense.

"While I was out there," she whispered, drawing Phantom's attention. He gave a hum to let her know he was listening, though he wasn't taking his eyes off her wound. "There was this merman that came to see me. He was really… not helpful."

"Should he know I lay claim to you, he won't touch you," Phantom told her calmly, though his lips twitched in annoyance. "Merfolk won't touch the mate of another, whether or not they have physically joined. Not usually, anyway."

"He was kind of weird, too."

"You just described every merman in the ocean."

"And he was a jellyfish. I didn't know there could be jellyfish merman."

Phantom froze, looking up at her with a confused expression. "There usually aren't. Jellyfish never developed far enough for some to evolve into merfolk. Did he say his name?"

"Probably don't know him if you never heard of him," she informed, hissing when the seaweed was pulled away. She was surprised to see some of the redness was already fading.

Kwan came out with a white box in hand, a bright red plus on the lid. He froze when Phantom snarled at him. "Uh, I got the first aid!" he supplied helpfully.

Valerie slapped the merman's shoulder. "Knock it off, he's just trying to help," she scolded.

"That's my job," Phantom informed firmly. "As for your earlier statement, not all merfolk know each other. I personally thought Pariah Dark was just a scary story mothers tell their offspring to keep them from going to the ice seas. Then he came down and started harassing everyone. So again, what was the name?"

Valerie huffed, taking the bandages Kwan held out for her. "Clockwork," she answered.

"Clockwork? Wait a second… Clockwork is a fucking jellyfish?!" the merman exclaimed in surprise, his hand pulling away from Valerie's injury in his shock. "Actually, that explains a lot about him."

"You know him?" she asked, gently removing the seaweed sticking to her side in order to wrap her torso with the temporary bandaging.

"I will know him personally soon enough," the merman huffed, shaking his head. "He's the advisor with the secrets of the seas."

**Here the Chapter Ends**

**I honestly did not know what to do about Clockwork for the longest time. Then I went exploring some sea life and found the perfect body for him. I mean, I saw these things and just imagined Clockwork as one. **_**Boom**_**, there it is!**

**I don't think I did the drama right, at least not what I was hoping for. Oh, well. Hope you guys enjoyed it all the same. Let me know what you think! Later, everyone!**


	10. Interest Claimed

**So far, we're doing pretty good. At least, I think we are. You guys are still reading, so I'll take what I can get! ^^**

**Disclaimer: Nothing Danny Phantom related is mine, and neither are the random references you may spot.**

**Here the Chapter Starts**

_Thousands upon thousands of years ago, the sea was filled with ordinary lifeforms. Then one day, a freak accident. Unsure of why the creature is so different. Why it is made so strangely. A simple jellyfish mutating in the sea, growing along with the creatures that walk along the land. _

_Like all the other jellyfish, it reproduced asexually, no need for a mate. But for some reason, there was only one child. At least it mutated like the parent, helping ease away the feeling of loneliness. As the offspring grew, the parent taught it what it has learned in its lifetime. Eventually, the parent passed away and the offspring was alone._

_It was a continuous cycle for two hundred years until the newest offspring discovered something in the ocean. Maybe this is what the original parent came into contact with in its youth, what changed it. The thought only occurred when the curious offspring held it and the curiosity refined the strange features the offspring carried. _

_Mainly out of wonder, the offspring started exposing other creatures to it, creating more mutations similar to itself from various ordinary creatures. The dolphins are fun to play with. The sharks are mean-tempered. The rays helped cross long distances. The fish were good company. The eels guarded. The whales guided._

_Eventually the offspring became a parent itself, entrusting the strange item to its own offspring before passing away years later. When the new offspring reached maturity, the other creatures created were having their own offspring. But others wanted the object, knowing it was what created them. _

"Is there a point to all this?" the little one grouched, dropping his blue head on a smooth rock as red eyes stared at the merman in front of it.

"There is always a point," he reminded, shaking his head. "You must hear this story as I have heard it, just as my parent heard it. All the way back to the first Clockwork. When I die, this will become your responsibility."

"But do I need to know it now?" the smaller jellyfish merman huffed. "You're not dying tomorrow or anything!"

Clockwork chuckled, recalling his own impatience with his parent. "And what are you in such a rush to get to today?" he inquired as he crossed his arms.

"I wanna see the king's human," his offspring stated firmly, giving his head a sharp nod.

With a sigh and a roll of his eyes, the merman smirked. "Soon enough, you will. But she may or may not be human when you do," he informed, reaching over and grabbing a nearby staff with a gleaming blue and white crystal. "Little One, you need to learn your own history. One day, you will be the new guardian of the secret. And you need to be prepared for such a responsibility."

"But why me? Why you? Why us?!"

"Because we are a direct descendant of the very first merman, and of the merman that discovered the secret. We are the line that cannot be crossed in order to maintain the peace of the seas. If this artifact were to fall into the wrong hands, outside of our protection, the balance of the ocean can be drastically shifted."

"But we're jellyfish," the child pointed out, tugging one of the stray tentacles floating away from his parent. "Turtles eat our species. **Turtles**! So why do we have to be the ones to protect it?"

He shook his head. "Perhaps it is the will of Poseidon. Perhaps it is the will of the oceans. Perhaps it is Fate or Destiny. All we can do is accept our role for the good of our people." He leaned forward enough to bump his child's forehead with his own. "And that means sitting there quietly while I tell you our history."

The offspring groaned, dropping his head back onto the rock. Clockwork just knows, especially from what he put his own parent through, that this will be a repeated lesson. Oh well. His offspring is still young, and he isn't quite midlife. Yet.

**Here is a line!**

Valerie could only grin in amusement as she watched everyone else try and remove Phantom from the lagoon in a futile effort of controlling him. After her rescue a couple days ago, she was immediately taken to the hospital to be looked over. Beyond some sunburn and mild dehydration, the only thing to worry over was the cut from the coral. Even that wasn't significant. It only took eight stitches, three internal and five external. The next day, she was back at the facility and removed the tracker from the shark's dorsal.

After that, everyone kept trying to convince her to get the shark out of the lagoon and back into containment. But it was too much fun watching them try and manage it themselves. Phantom won't ever let anyone outside of her touch him, and the water was both deep and murky, so he was able to hide whenever the tranq guns came out. Everyone already knows he can tell the difference between drugged and safe food, so that wasn't even attempted.

Valerie could convince him to go back to his pool if she really wanted to. But that little pool wasn't enough for a normal shark to stay in for an undetermined amount of time. Phantom isn't a normal shark. This still counts as part of the facility, just around the boundary of it instead of right next to the building. A plus was that there were only cameras around the gates, not on the lagoon itself.

Cameras were on the gates to make sure there were no malfunctions and, when they open to release animals back into the wild, to help keep track of them in order to know when it is safe to open the next gate and close to previous. Inside the lagoon itself is determined safe due to their protocols and procedures. Wild fish may get in occasionally, but there wasn't anything large or dangerous in it.

At least, not before Phantom decided that he prefers the larger lagoon to his previous 'bowl'. And Valerie didn't have the heart to chew him out or fight about it. He actually seemed much happier where he is, and she already made him promise not to attack anything they could be releasing while he's there. Others at the facility were worried the shark could escape at some point, but Valerie knew if Phantom wanted to get out, he'll get out.

Still, watching everyone trying to recapture the shark in order to move him was too funny to miss. There was one moment when someone fell in and panicked, thinking the shark would come for him and was making way too much noise. That much splashing and struggling would attract a normal shark, but Phantom just watched the idiot then looked to Valerie in disbelief.

Eventually, Valerie spared everyone else a heart attack by shooing them away. She followed after them to the facility only to grab her wetsuit, flippers, a small oxygen tank, and a mask. She was quick to change into the wetsuit, keeping her gloves off as she jogged bare-foot back to the lagoon. Once back at the edge of the water, she put her flippers on then shouldered her tank and slipped the mask over her face.

Submerging into the water was one of the most relaxing moments she could recall since the shark first arrived. At least, until a hand grabbed her ankle and pulled her further into the water a little too quickly. Once she was released, she glared at the smirking merman swimming circles around her. Instead of swatting him like she wanted to, she held up her hand with her middle finger sticking up.

"I understand that is meant to be offensive, but I never understood what it means," he commented, his voice almost echoing in the water. "But I will forgive you for the intent, Valerie. Tell me, how are your injuries today?"

Unable to talk in the water, she gave him a thumb up. Her injuries haven't bothered her, but apparently the scent of her blood aggravated the shark. Not into a feeding frenzy like normal sharks, but he did look angry whenever he detected it.

Phantom chuckled, "It seems we have flipped positions. No matter." Smoothly, he swam to Valerie, wrapping an arm around her waist and taking her along with him.

Valerie managed to free herself from the grip, grabbing a hold of his shoulder and pulling herself onto his back. Instead of wrapping her legs around his waist, she let the water carry her limbs as she held onto the merman. A hand grasped her wrist tightly, but not hard enough to bruise.

"Hold on," he warned before he suddenly surged forward, twirling in the water as he swam around the lagoon.

Since she wasn't holding him with all limbs, she twisted around loosely as he spun. Lips stretched into a smile, her chest rumbling with laughs she couldn't fully release due to the mask. Then he slowed to a stop, head tilted like he was listening for something. To show her own confusion, she tilted her own head while poking his shoulder.

Then he shook his head. "I thought I heard something," he replied as Valerie let go of him to swim beside him. "As nice as it is to be back in natural water, those gates right there make it difficult to differentiate certain sounds. It muffles them."

She let out a low hum, glancing to the nearby gates. There are a total of three in a row, so any sound that travels through the first one has to get through two more. Which would muffle it exponentially.

"Valerie, will you allow me to show you something?" he inquired, turning to her with his hair dancing in the water.

Valerie nodded as the merman reached out to her, his webbed fingers brushing back strands of her own dark hair getting tangled in the water. Must be a 'merfolk' thing that his hair doesn't tangle like hers does, even though it is long enough to do so.

"Close your eyes."

Sparing him a quick, suspicious look, she did as he instructed, letting the merman keep her in place so that she wouldn't float back to the surface. Cold hands cupped her face, thumbs brushing over her cheeks.

"Relax. Think of nothing."

Difficult to do. Her mind, as Phantom constantly complains, is an active one. Work and ideas and random thoughts parade throughout the day, an endless train until she crashed into her bed. Then her mind was occupied by the mind of another, sharing scenes of untold beauty while also trying to woo her. Still, she attempted.

For a second, she wondered if she simply opened her eyes, but the lack of a merman in front of her told her otherwise. Also, judging from the movement down below, she's moving at a high speed, fish below darting away in fear as she passed over them. Another memory?

Colors and a variety of shapes surrounded her. Coral with fish of various species living inside the twisted branches making up the underwater forest. A few sharks swam through the reef as well, hardly paying any mind to the higher predator swimming past them.

Then she was diving down through a gap in the reef, a tunnel just wide enough for a broad merman like Phantom to squeeze through without brushing against the rough stone. It went on for only a moment. Then she was in a large cavern filled with various sea life. Not just fish and coral, but a variety of seaweed she had never seen before, anemones with clown fish poking out of the tentacles, and crustaceans scuttling along the bottom.

The most breathtaking feature of the cavern, however, was the sun gleaming through a gap in the ceiling, peering past large crystals jutting out of the rock, casting the cavern into a rainbow of color. Pinnacles of light bouncing off the larger crystals above to strike smaller ones scattered along the walls.

"This is my home," Phantom explained, though she was still inside the cavern and swimming down another tunnel. "A part of my territory." The vision was replaced with darkness as cold hand left her cheeks.

Valerie blinked, her eyes readjusting to the murkier water of the lagoon before focusing on the merman in front of her.

"That is only part of what I offer you," he swore. "There is much more, after all. What I have shown you was simply part of the den, not my whole territory." His arms suddenly wrapped around her waist, pulling her flush against him. She could feel her cheeks heat up at the close proximity, her eyes wide as she stared up at the merman. "I wish you would consider my offers more thoroughly instead of brushing them off with close-mindedness. Excuse as you might, I do not care that you are human. I want you as my queen. Only you. No one else will do." He grinned, showing his sharp teeth as he brought his face closer to hers. "Keep this in mind, Valerie. In the end, I get what I want."

She slapped his chest best that she could with the water fighting her then pushed against him to create some space between them. He looked amused by her action, but let her push away only enough for his hands to remain on her hips. Grabbing his wrists to push his hands off, she signaled upwards before swimming back to the surface. His eyes remained on her, even after she broke the surface. Her body spun around, showing him that she was looking for any potential witnesses before waving her hand to silently inform that he could come up as well.

What he wasn't expected when he emerged was a swift swat to his head. He blinked at her in confusion. "What?"

"You may be used to getting your way, but don't think that just because you say so that I'll be your queen," she sharply informed. "The world doesn't work like that!"

"Of course it does," he replied, his head tilting.

"No, it doesn't," she returned firmly before sighing heavily. "Phantom, I don't know how things are in your world, but among humans, everything is so different that you could never understand how. Just because a man expresses interest in a woman, or even because he tells her, that doesn't mean the woman wants him."

"So you mean to say that while I wish to have you as my mate, you do not wish to have me as yours," the merman translated, brows furrowing.

"Yes and no," she said, lifting a hand with spread fingers and tilting it side to side. "Look, I do find you attractive, for a merman. Of course, I've never met other mermen beyond Technus, so I don't really have a basis to judge from. Even among humans, you're… pretty impressive." Seeing his smirk, she pointed a finger at him. "No stroking your ego!"

"You just claimed your interest," Phantom pointed out.

"I said you're attractive, but a lot of people are," Valerie informed exasperatingly. "That doesn't mean I want to jump into bed with them or marry them!"

"I would hope not since you are to be mine," the merman snarled, his eyes narrowing.

"You are completely missing the point," she muttered. "Rewind a bit." Inhaling deeply, she looked into the merman's red eyes, holding his gaze. "Humans have a saying. Spots with spots, stripes with stripes. It is the way of nature. Humans have human mates. And your people mate with other merpeople. It is the way things are. You can't keep chasing after me when it could never happen."

"I already said that it can be amended," he reminded firmly. "I do not care that you are human, but it will be easier on you as my queen to be a mermaid. Clockwork knows how, and I will get the secret from him."

"What if I don't want to be a mermaid?" she asked, causing him to jerk back in shock and confusion. "What if I like being a human? Living on land? Earning a living and having one place to call my own!"

"You will have a place to call yours. It will also be mine, but my territory will be our territory," Phantom explained calmly. "And once you master your shapeshifting ability, you could go on land whenever you wish. These are simple things to understand. Why do you argue so?"

Valerie huffed, rubbing her head as she stared to the facility. "Would you be so willing to leave the water if your mother was still alive?" she asked him, redirecting her gaze back to the merman. "You love her even now, years after she died. If she was still alive and you fell in love with me, but I want to stay a human, would you live as a human? Would you leave her?"

"All offspring eventually leave the parents," Phantom pointed out.

"But would you?"

He hummed, tilting his head down and slightly to the side in thought. "It is difficult to imagine. She has been dead for well over a decade. If she were still alive, though, I imagine she would be pleased with my choice no matter what I choose. Most parents simply wish the best for their offspring once they leave the den to find their own."

"It is the same with humans," Valerie pointed out softly. "I will admit, life as a mermaid is tempting… But if I go with you, then I'm leaving my father. He has no one but me. I am his only family left. Leaving him alone like that… it's cruel. And I can't do that to him."

Low growls escape the merman as he jerked his head to the side.

"Do merpeople not believe in the foundations of family?" she asked.

"We know our parents just as well as we know our offspring," he replied harshly, teeth pressed together. "When the offspring leaves, then that is it."

"So the parents don't even worry about the safety of their child? Whether they're dead or alive, safe or in danger, or even where they are?"

"Mine didn't!" he snarled. "He swam off, left my mother and I to be caught! When I found him a year later, he had a new mate and offspring! He replaced us! Replaced… replaced my mother… and me… We were nothing to him!"

Valerie frowned. "How old was the child?"

"Old enough to tell me he never even thought of looking," he growled. "Do you mean to tell me humans are different?!"

Nodding, she replied, "Yes. Sometimes. In some cases, that does happen. Hell, it happens even in the middle of a marriage. But among humans, we don't just replace. Parents that have new spouses, have children with their new spouse, still stay in contact with the children they had with their former spouse. And to those children, to all children, our parents are our world, even the parents that are abusive because kids don't know any better.

"My dad is my world, just as I am his. If I were to accept your offer, if you were somehow able to turn me into a mermaid, then I would not be doing anything less than abandoning him. I would not be doing anything more than what your father did, trading one family for another. I can't do that to him.

"Do you get what I'm trying to tell you?"

Slowly, the merman nodded. "As I said, having you as a mermaid would make things easier for you to be my queen. However, you do not have to be a mermaid. We can still be mates and you can still remain human."

Sighing, Valerie took it as a small victory. Much as it hurt to keep trying to dissuade the merman from pursuing her affections, it would be for the best in the end. He'll eventually move on, find a real mermaid to have as a mate. And she'll find a human husband one day, happily married and with at least two children. She just hopes that Phantom won't be completely removed from her life. She has grown fond of the shark merman, after all. Maybe one day, her children could be friends with his children.

**Here is a line!**

A headache was building up, he could feel it coming as he rubbed the bridge of his nose while listening to his former college roommate speak loudly over the phone. It appears that, in his absence, Jack and Maddie caught word of the shark and wanted to take him away for their own research. He couldn't allow that because they don't have the proper equipment to handle such a specimen and the shark was his first.

"Jack, calm down," he sharply demanded, flinching when the other's voice seemed to rise in volume. "Jack, may I talk now?… Jack… Jack!" Peaceful silence. "Thank you. Now, put the phone on speaker so that Maddie may be included… Oh, hello, Maddie!… I'm fine, I'm fine. Now, I understand that you two are interested in the tiger shark."

He ignored the scoff at the other side of the room, sending a glare that was simply returned with a smirk.

"Yes, I am well aware of what I have. I'm not an idiot. But keep in mind, a live specimen is much better than a dead and dissected one. You only learn the body that way instead of the creature itself… I actually caught this shark years ago, but he did escape. Before that, I managed to put a chip in his body. It should have recorded his travels after his escape… Once I find the correct dosage of sedative for him, I can retrieve that chip and we can learn so much more about the merfolk."

"Not like you don't already know plenty now," the other in the room muttered. Vlad held up a finger in a signal for silence.

"If he has been to their main gathering grounds, then we will have the perfect location to catch live specimens for study. I have the necessary equipment for holding him at the moment, whereas you two don't… Do not argue with me, Jack. And please, lower your voice. I have the phone against my ear… Maddie, I understand how important your research is. I helped start it, remember? But I must insist that I keep the shark… Of course I know who he is. He may have only been the king for a couple of days before he was brought in, but I am well aware of his position… No, he wasn't always the king. From what I understand, he defeated the former in battle… I have my sources."

Vlad started laughing humorlessly. "Maddie, my dear, this is why it is better to study live specimens. Merfolk don't interact with each other beyond their seasonal gatherings or with their family. There are no repercussions for holding the king. Besides, we three know that if he wanted out, he would not have remained for as long as he has… Oh, the reason should be obvious. It was to me the second I saw it… He's in love, Jack. With a human woman… Why do you two just keep proving my point? …Regardless, I will be holding the shark, but I would be glad to share information with you two. We should compare notes when we meet again."

The other groaned in disgust, tongue darting out for dramatic effect as they gagged.

"Unfortunately, I will not be in the office for another week, at the least. I do have quite a few businesses to run. But when I am back, I will let you know and we can get to work… I look forward to it. Bye, Jack. Bye, Maddie." A push of a button and the call ended. Vlad let out a low sigh as he turned to the second body in the room. "You're glibness is unwarranted."

They chuckled deeply, head leaning back over the arm of the chair they were seated in. "Vladimir, you know as well as I do that those two will complicate matters and slow you down."

"They are not the only ones," he accused, walking up to the other. "You assured me the sedative used last time would work. He was unconscious for only a few minutes."

"His metabolism is far greater than I anticipated. Can you blame me, though? I hardly knew him."

"Yet you are sure of his attentions on Miss Gray?"

"Of course. Merfolk are not 'touchy' like you humans are. The only ones we touch outside of battle are family. Or mates." Lips twisting into a near feral grin, fangs gleaming in the light, he added, "She is not family to him."

Vlad hummed lowly, turning away and going to his desk. He could feel the eyes staying on his back. "I grow tired of your games, Plasmius. If you would simply reveal the location to me, we would not have a situation like this on our hands."

"I was exiled, remembered?" Plasmius scoffed, rolling his deep red eyes. "I cannot return to the ocean. Should I enter the water, it must be rivers or lakes. Besides, this is actually so much better! Jardan killed Pariah Dark, making him the new king. And a shark is so much easier to kill than a leviathan. This could work in both our favors."

"How so?" Vlad inquired, looking over his shoulder to the merman lounging on his furniture.

"Exile or not, if I kill the current king, I become the new king," the merman pointed out. "And just think: You would have a friend in a very high place."

The man let out a sarcastic laugh. "What makes you think you can kill him?" he mocked. "You have been out of the water for quite some time. And last I looked, a giant ray would easily lose to a shark."

'Tsk'ing, Plasmius shook his head, brushing back his black hair that threatened to fall into his eyes. "Maybe among ordinaries. There is no rule that we must be full beasts to do battle. Just that the winner gets the prize. And that human girl is the key. I think it would make my battle against him much easier to simply… remove her. Permanently. Being so high and mighty, so sure of his strength, failing to protect his intended mate would devastate him and make him that much easier for me to defeat. I could finally return to the ocean, not as an exile, but as the new king."

Jumping to his feet, the ray merman stepped closer to Vlad, hands on his hips. "Imagine what you could receive with the King of the Merfolk as a friend. All those ships from your competition? Sunk. Riches lost in the sands under the water? The answers to your questions, your own heritage? All yours. You help me, Vladimir, and I'll help you."

"Tempting," Vlad mused, looking upwards in thought as he brought a hand to his chin. "Quite tempting." With a low hum, he turned to the smirking creature. Much as it made his skin crawl, arguing with Plasmius would only put the merman's plans on pause. He'll do things his own way if Vlad doesn't help him. Then he could attempt interference. "Well, I suppose we could arrange a little… 'accident' for Miss Gray. So long as no one is able to connect anything to me, you will have your shot at… What was his name again?"

"Jardan," Plasmius laughed. "Kid hated it, if I remember correctly. If you recall, that little bitch he called his mother used to call him 'Dan'."

"Were you not after her yourself, Plasmius?" Vlad taunted knowingly. "She simply kept denying you. No need to be so hateful of her now." Smirking when the merman snarled, he turned back to his desk and started to shift through the papers. "You realize that if things do not play out well enough, it could possibly mean the end for both of us."

"You doubt my capabilities?"

"No. But I also do not doubt his." Hell, he was hoping that the shark that killed the previous king can get rid of this damn ray. With a sigh, he took his seat. "Just in case things do go sideways, I suppose I must get certain things in order. I should have known associating with you could drive me into an early grave."

**Here the Chapter Ends**

**Yes, I made Plasmius a merman and left Vlad as a human 'partner'. Hey, Dan and Danny are two different people here, why not Vlad and Plasmius?**

**I could have kept the name 'Daniel' for Phantom, but for some reason, 'Jardan' sounded in my head with his mother calling him 'Dan'. Don't ask. It just happened. Don't bitch. It just happened. Besides, he goes by Phantom in this story anyway.**

**Let me know what you guys think! ^^**


	11. His Thoughts

**Gonna start this chapter a little differently. Been kind of neglecting a certain aspect that was done before but has been neglected beyond a mention or two. So we're gonna start there. It will be short before the first chapter break, but it will be there.**

**Have fun, guys! ;)**

**Disclaimer: Nope. Still don't own any Danny Phantom or random references that somehow make it into this story. Don't ask me how, they just do.**

**Here the Chapter Starts**

Back on a soft surface. Teeth nipping at the skin of her neck. Hands roaming her body. A firm body gently grinding against her. Hands in thick hair, tugging hard as she was nearly at the edge of torment.

The body moved lower, tongue licking down her throat as hands slid further down, resting on her hips as the firm body continued lowering. A deep growl, sharp nails digging into her hips but not breaking skin.

Her hands rested on his shoulders as he nipped her thighs, her own fingers digging into his muscles. Breaths came out as pants, moans slipping out of her mouth as she pinched her lower lip between her teeth. Chuckles escaped him as he started lowering his head to rest between her thighs, tongue teasingly close.

Then she gasped and snapped up in her bed, skin coated with sweat and lungs panting heavily. Her eyes were wide as she looked around the room before realization dawned on her. "Damn it!" she cursed, throwing her blankets off before swinging her legs over the edge of her bed. "Oh, he is so getting a chew out for giving me a dream like that!"

At the facility, the merman woke at the bottom of the lagoon, rolling his shoulders and letting out a low groan of disappointment. "It was getting so good," he muttered before smirking. "Well, I would rather taste the real thing instead of a dream."

**Here is a line!**

Her feet were almost stomping on the wooden floors as she marched through the entrance. The only time she paused was to look into the aquarium to try and locate Nikolai. He was snuggled in a nest of coral, limbs lazily being played with by the slight current in the aquarium. It looked like the octopus was sleeping, which she was fine with. He can't somehow warn the shark that she's coming now.

That task done, she continued on outside, her marching taking her straight to the lagoon where a familiar shark was swimming close to the surface, a bass in his jaws as he bit down on it hard enough to break it in half. Then he dove only far enough to catch the half that tried to sink away from him.

"Phantom!" she yelled, hands on her hips. "Get up here!"

It took a moment, but he emerged, half a bass in hand, which he took a bite of. "Good morning, Valerie," he greeted with a smug smirk.

"First of all, gross," she commented, pointing to the fish he was eating. "I don't need to see chewed up fish in your mouth. Second, what the hell!"

"I fail to understand why you are angry, my dear," Phantom teased her as he leaned back to float, though his lower half stayed half submerged. "You seemed to be enjoying yourself earlier."

"Stop giving me sex dreams!" Valerie hissed. "Seriously, it needs to stop!" Honestly, she felt that since she tried explaining the fact that she can't just leave her father all alone, the merman has only gotten more persistent.

"Why? If you simply continue sleeping, you could fully enjoy yourself," he pointed out calmly, taking another bite of his breakfast.

Lucky for him that such a large bass just happened to be swimming around in the lagoon. He missed being able to hunt for his food instead of being hand fed like a pet. An image of Valerie feeding him his food by hand, bit by bit, popped into his head. His head on her lap as she picked at food on a plate, holding it over his open mouth before dropping it in. Her dainty fingers caressing his lips and jaw as he ate. Maybe that can be in the next dream? No, she would actually try to kill him over it. Probably.

"These dreams need to stop, Phantom!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms out to the side briefly before they fell.

"Don't think of them as annoyances," he chuckled, picking at a piece of bone sticking out of the meat. "Think of them as a possibility."

"We talked about this," she groaned. How much more does she have to say to get the merman to get her point?

"You said you cannot be a mermaid because you refuse to leave your sire alone on the land," Phantom argued. "You also claimed your interest in me. Which means not all hope is lost. My being a merman and you being a human does not necessarily mean that there is nothing to happen between us. Think of these dreams as me showing you that I can still have you as my mate, even as a human."

An exasperated groan left her this time, her forehead dropping into her hands. "No, you can't!" she tried to informed.

"Evidence points to the contrary of your protests," he stated, using his claws to rip a strip of flesh from the fish in his hand before he put one end in his mouth then slurped it up like a noodle. "There have been mermen and mermaids that had taken humans mates in the past. Sometimes, a descendant of such coupling returns to the sea, if they are aware of their lineage. Otherwise, they stay on land until the gene is bred out of them."

"But…" She felt confusion come over her. "But you said it would be easier if I was a mermaid." She was pretty sure he meant children or sex whenever he said that. Though she never did ask for clarification.

"It would be," he explained, rolling over and ducking under the surface in order to swim up to the dock. Valerie sat on the wooden platform once he emerged from the water, crossing his arms on the edge, his hands now empty of the bass he was eating. "As the king, I will handle certain matters when they are brought to my attention. Meaning I would travel to other territories. You being a mermaid would be ideal so that you could travel with me, as well as any younglings we would have."

"We're not even to the point of courting, so kids is way out of the question," Valerie pointed out, poking his forehead.

Phantom chuckled, shaking his head slightly. "For now. Anyway, you being a mermaid would make things easier in that regard. However, should you truly wish to remain human, I will travel alone. Younglings would have to stay on land with you, which would mean you would be charged with their protection while I am away."

"If –IF- we EVER had kids, as their mother, protecting them is part of my job," she stated firmly.

"But would you be able to do so properly?" he inquired, his gaze knowing. "You remain a human, yet become my mate. All sons will be mermen. All daughters will be human, carrying the mer-gene, able to become mermaids themselves should they want to rejoin the seas of their ancestors. Now, imagine having my son, an offspring that takes more after me than you. He would, of course, remain in the ocean with me a majority of the time. But when I leave due to duties, he will have to be restricted to land to be with you.

"Could you protect our son from humans that see him, Valerie? From humans that would take him away, lock him up, turn him into another experiment? Humans that would kill him and take him apart just to see what makes him live?"

"Yes," she confirmed harshly, her eyes dark yet confident. "Any child I have, I would fight tooth and nail, risk life and limb, to keep them safe."

He smirked, laying his head on his crossed arms. "You are quite beautiful when you look like a true warrior," he complimented.

"I'm a ninth degree black belt," she pointed out smugly, crossing her arms and giving her shoulders a cocky tilted. "My whole body is a weapon. Anyone pushes it, they'll find that out the hard way."

The merman let out a laugh as he threw his head back. "Oh, Valerie! Why do you dispute our mating so much when we are so perfect?"

"Because I'm a human and you're a merman. Technically, we shouldn't even be able to."

"Yet we can, if you simply open yourself to the possibilities, which I am trying to show you."

Valerie shook her head again. "Just… stop with the sex dreams," she demanded. "I don't mind the other dreams you show me. Those are pretty cool. But the sex dreams need to stop."

The merman pouted, eyes looking to the side. "Very well. They will stop." For now, though he didn't tell her out loud. Maybe if he keeps tempting her with the other dreams, generally life in the ocean, she would be more open to becoming a mermaid and being his mate. Regardless of her species, he very much plans on having Valerie as his. But life with her would be much easier if she accepts her own fins and gills. They would not be as separated as they are now.

"Hey, Phantom?" she called softly.

He hummed, looking back to her.

"You don't seem to mind me calling you 'Phantom', but from what you've said of other merfolk, you had to have had a name before the one I gave you," she pointed out. "What was it?"

He snarled, lips curling in distaste. "My sire gave me my name. I hated it my whole life." He huffed harshly, "Jardan."

"Jardan?" she repeated curiously. "Does it mean anything?"

"No. Nothing. My sire simply thought it to be an interesting name. But I hated it! Everyone I came into contact with would taunt my name, usually calling out 'Jar-fish'."

She smiled sadly, recalling all the inventive yet insulting names Dash and his gang used to give Danny just by using his last name.

"My mother called me 'Dan'."

"Dan," the woman copied, looking to him with wide eyes. "That's a pretty nice name. Wouldn't you prefer me calling you 'Dan' over 'Phantom'?"

"No. I like the name you gave me," he replied. "'Dan' is bland. There is nothing to it. 'Jardan' was insulting. But 'Phantom', it speaks of a ghost in the water that no one would see coming. It demands fear, commands respect. I rather like it."

"Alright, just thought I should ask," Valerie said calmly. "I should have asked sooner, but you never complained or told me anything different to call you by. So I just kept using it. Glad to know I wasn't insulting you by giving you a new name."

Phantom chuckled deeply. "Valerie, little you have done has insulted me."

"So I did do something to insult you," she muttered, her eyes narrow and lips twisting into a thoughtful lift. "What was it?"

"Insinuating that I was a mere fragment of your imagination," he teased. "Do you honestly think you could imagine something as grand as I?"

"Who knows? Maybe I could imagine something grander!" she returned with a cocky smirk. "I always have had a bit of a weakness for men with some hair on their chest."

Phantom snorted. "The more animal they look, the better to you? In that case, you should be throwing yourself at me! How much more animal-like could I look outside my bestial form?"

"Oh, damn! You got me there," she sighed in fake dejection. Dramatically, she put the back of her hand against her forehead, her head tilting backwards. "Woe is me! My ultimate weakness has been discovered!" She dropped her hand, looking to the smirking merman with her own taunting twist of her lips. "I get weak in the knees for men that are animals."

The merman laugh, pushing himself off the dock's edge and doing a backward flip in the water before emerging again. "Then you have no reason to deny my advances!"

"Guess again, buddy," she shot down, getting to her feet. "I gotta get some stuff from inside. Be back in a minute."

He hummed in acknowledgement, watching her leave before submerging. He dove to the bottom, his belly almost rubbing against the shifting sand until he found the pit he made to sleep in. It was also where he put his breakfast, glad to see it was still there, though all blood had left the flesh by now. He curled up in his pit, eyes scanning the murky water.

Occasional fish swam around, trying to dodge his sight by hiding in the waving green weeds. He knows he spotted a couple holes where sea serpents would poke their heads out to get their own meal. A few crabs scuttled across the bottom, one carrying anemones on its back. He didn't even know there were anemones in here.

Valerie told him that this place, though referred to as another pool, was a lagoon they used gates to section off from the rest of the ocean. It was primarily used to release certain animals back into the wild water safely. Sometimes, smaller creatures make their way in, such as fish or crustaceans. With the lack of large predators in this spot, there was plenty for him to eat and plenty of spots where he could make a pit to sleep. The water was calm with no current, but movement caused ripples that could lift sand back into the areas he dug out.

It wasn't 'den' material. But it would work as a temporary home. Once Masters and his pet are dead, he would find some way of either convincing Valerie to join him in the sea, or he would just have to find a new den closer to her. It would be a shame, though.

The den he grew up in, the one he lives in now, has been the home of his mother's family for generations. He remembers her telling him that she wished for more offspring, but all his sire wanted was one son. No daughters at all. Thankfully, he was the first, and only, born of their mating. Much as he loves his mother, he could never understand what she saw in his sire.

He did things that seemed to completely disregard any thoughts or feelings for her. His decisions were primarily selfish. When she wanted to mate again, wanted another offspring, he refused, saying he had what he wanted.

Sharks are usually an isolated species. Merfolk in general interact with just family and mates, only with strangers during the seasonal gatherings. Such interactions are either to settles scores or to try and find a mate.

Dolphins are social, no matter mer or ordinary. And his sire often isolated them from others of their kind, which was wearing his poor mother down. In order to replace the socialization she craved, she wanted more offspring, to have her own pod. Phantom understood why she was asking for such, and he was never hurt by her insinuation that he and his sire just weren't enough. He knew they weren't, not for her. Yet each time, his sire refused.

Then the bastard showed just how much he doesn't care. When his mother was captured, he rushed to her aid. Yet his sire, her mate, did nothing but turn around and swim away. No matter how much they called for him. No matter how much he begged for his sire to come back and help her. He left them. Left them to be tortured. To be starved and neglected. Left his mother to be leered at by the damn ray that fed information to Masters.

Oh, he knows all about Plasmius. Just the thought of the ray brought a sneer to his face. They did not receive proper introduction, but any mer worth their flesh would know that exile and to stay away from him.

Their only salvation… _His_ only salvation was that where Masters was holding them was so close to the sea. Exiles are not permitted back into the ocean under penalty of death, not before their time is over. Plasmius has no time limit to remain out. His sentence is for life. Rumors were that the one who exiled him thought to break the ray in order to use his twisted mind for their own means. But there is no breaking a merman like that.

How that ray lusted for his mother, especially when she was weak and unable to fight off his advances. Phantom was usually the one to get him to back off, even tearing into his arm once. But at the age he was, he was too small and weak to do more than redirect the ray's attention from raping his mother to beating him until he could hear her crying. Pleading for mercy on his behalf. Begging Plasmius to stop.

They both escaped their cage. He was the only one to make it back into the water alive. Plasmius tried to recapture them. She shoved Phantom over the wall, made him plummet fifteen feet into the water, away from them. He kept trying to get back up, to help her, until a loud sound cracked through the air like thunder. When she hit the water, her body was limp and her eyes were empty, a hole in her chest releasing a cloud of blood. He was only ten and all he could do was kill off any ordinaries that tried taking a bite of her corpse while he held her close.

Eventually, he couldn't watch over her. Couldn't hold onto the hope that she would wake up, talk, or move. Had to face the reality that his sire abandoned them and that his mother was the one who paid the price.

He went home. Back to the den he knew. Upon his return, he saw his sire and hate clouded his eyes when he saw the merman brought in another female, with a offspring at least four years old. The bastard, isolating him and his mother, went and had another family with another mermaid. Nothing was more satisfying that seeing his sire's shock when Phantom charged him, screaming in rage and slicing into him with his talons. He screamed out his rage. Shout out his hate. Shamed his sire in front of the mermaid that seemed to think he was _so fucking perfect_!

She held no ill will against him. Not after hearing his words as he ripped his sire to pieces. She gave her apologies, said she didn't know, then took her child -his half sibling- and swam away. Surrendered her right to the den that was never hers to claim.

The den is his, and it always will be. Even when he isn't there, everyone knows to leave it be. Through the years, he made a name for himself. No one dared make fun of 'Jardan' anymore. No, they saw 'the recluse' and fled, knowing he would slay them without a care. Where he swims, everyone avoids.

But he never acted outside of the usual laws. He did not kill without reason. Did not harm children. Did not force females to mate. He never faced exile, or even the threat of it.

Five years ago, he met a bull shark that was hunting the same prey he was. There was a fight over it, which he won, but the other respected him instead of feared him. Even when he realized who he was speaking to. All Skulker said was that it was pointless to fear one that doesn't give a good enough reason to be feared. He likes Skulker, even considers him his first friend. They often sparred during the seasonal gatherings, testing each other's strength and growing stronger with each fight.

Those fights he had with Skulker were what helped him grow strong enough to fight Pariah Dark when the leviathan emerged from the ice and tried putting the oceans back under his reign. Others fled from him in fear, knowing that the king could eat them, break them in half, leave them completely powerless to stop him. But Phantom? He challenged the king, tore through his forces and through the king's innards.

Skulker and Ember both said it was a shock to see the king swallow him. Then a couple weeks later, choke and bleed from his mouth and nostrils. It took a week for him to get through the thick tissue of his throat and into his lungs, to rip them apart before starting on his heart. Each hole he made allowed more water into the king's body, making it possible for him to swim around. If he got hungry enough, he swallowed a bite or two. His movements made it difficult for his larger wound to heal, though, sometimes reopening it or tearing it wider and deeper.

When he freed himself from the king's drowning body, he earned his new title. But he was weak and exhausted. He wanted to go back to his den, to heal and rest. Yet he was caught and taken to the building on land. Memories of his time in a tank surfaced after being repressed for so long. He panicked, stayed away from the food that smells strange and dodged the netting being thrown at him.

Until Valerie stepped up and spoke to him, showed no fear of him. She looked so familiar and he found himself accepting her words as truth. His mind calmed and he came back to himself. Such interaction was unheard of among his people, an instant connection. Strange thing was that he could not find it in himself to protest.

Then he saw Masters and rage boiled his blood once more. He rammed the deck to get Masters to fall in, wanted to rip him into as many pieces as possible. Then hunt down that ray and shred him, too! But Valerie fell in and his rage settled when she touched him. He could sense the fear coming off of her and had to reassure her. She wasn't his target. He didn't want to hurt her.

But he did. When she was gone and he fully realized that Masters was right there and he missed his chance for revenge, his blood burned. He had to get out. Had to hunt the human down and kill him! He barely realized Valerie got into the pool when she did. Barely dodged her the first time he saw her, but knew he still had to get out. Then he threw her off and she swallowed water… and he knew he nearly killed her. Once again, she calmed his rage and he pushed her back to the surface, to air. She wasn't even mad at him, just worried.

That was when he decided that Valerie will be his. Her kind, gentle spirit calms his own angry, raging one. Her compassion counteracts his aggression. Her love balances his hate. And when she swims with him? He had never seen anyone move so gracefully in the water, not even another mermaid. She was the most beautiful thing he ever saw, fins or no.

There were so many times he wanted to reveal himself to her. But the attention of humans would attract powers beyond her capabilities, even with her in charge of his care. He remembers the cameras from his first capture, how they show others what they see so long as the red light was bright. During his seclusion, he spoke with Nikolai when the octopus got close enough, curious of the place. He gave his order to find a way in, to disable to watching systems.

The light going off was a dream come true to him until he saw that others were still on. He nearly tore through the building in search of Masters anyway until he caught her scent. Valerie. She had the cameras turned off in order to see him. He supposes the meeting could have gone better, but she is much more accepting of him now than she was at first.

They speak of random subjects, joke and tease. She seems eager to learn of his world, and he is always willing to learn more about her. The one thing she always argued against is being his mate. A part of him could understand why she doesn't want to live in the sea, or at least the reason she gave, but the rest of him doesn't care.

His Valerie is quite stubborn, but so is he.

**Here the Chapter Ends**

**Whoa… This got a lot deeper than I intended it to. I was going to do something completely different, but this came out instead. **

**Ah, well. Least you guys get some back-story on Phantom now, as well as a quick glance over his thoughts during certain events of the story.**

**Hope you guys still enjoyed it! ^^ Let me know!**


	12. Searching

**I lost it for a second. No, seriously. I freaking lost it. I write out chapters in advance in case I lose it and hope it comes back. But I actually lost it and I am currently just winging it for now. So even I have no clue what will happen.**

**Scary thought, right?**

**Disclaimer: Nope. Don't own Danny Phantom or any other random references.**

**Here the Chapter Starts**

Her lips split into a wide, excited grin as she held the new equipment in her hands. The brand new mask gleaming in the light, her face staring back at her on its surface. Testing to see how well it would fit, she placed it against her face, tugging the straps until they held the mask in place. A mild blind border along her peripherals, but the sight in front of her was as clear as it would be without the new mask.

"He ordered at least a dozen," Damon informed as he watching his daughter try on the new mask. "The equipment we have now limits communication beyond hand signals. With this, it will allow us to speak to each other because the oxygen tank will link up to the ports on the side. The mask covers the entire face."

"This is one of the coolest things we ever got," Valerie commented. "Can you hear me okay?"

"Kind of an echo, but I can hear you," he replied with a nod of his head. "How does it fit?"

"Nice and snug," she answered. "Best way to really test it, though, would be to wear it and go underwater."

"Well, we have an open pool for you to try it out in, Valerie," Kwan pointed out. "Supposedly, it will regulate your oxygen intake as well so the tanks last longer. Cameras can be hooked up to it to share video feed to the computer they are connected to. The suits have scanners in them to monitor your vitals and can help your body withstand pressure up to 350 feet before your lungs start to feel like they're being crushed. Also, flexible metal mesh to protect from shark bites. Where did Mister Masters get all this?"

Valerie paused, slipping the mask off as she looked to her father and friend with worry. "Do you think he might be up to something?" she asked, fingers clenching the new oxygen mask tightly.

"Like what?" Damon inquired, brow raised.

"He knows what Phantom is, he put that chip we destroyed in him," she reminded.

"You extracted the chip?!" Kwan gasped in shock. "How?! Nothing we've used for sedation on him ever worked long enough to do that!"

"He was awake," Valerie supplied before looking back to her father. "That chip monitored everywhere Phantom went, but it just recorded his paths. With it gone, those paths he took are safe. But what if he is getting these because he's getting ready to try something else? He might be trying to get the chip that isn't there anymore!"

"And because it isn't there, he has no reason beyond more research to use these," Damon reassured. "There is only so much we can do to fight against him, Valerie. But if he plans on doing a surgery to remove the chip we already took out, all we can do is let him."

"Then he finds out it's gone! What then?" she pressed, almost slamming the new equipment on the table by her. "Daddy, we will be the first people he suspects. He'll come after us first!

"There is no proof we did anything," he calmly promised. "All cameras were off that night because of a system malfunction. Remember? He can't do anything to us without proof. We're fine."

Inhaling deeply, Valerie nodded. "Okay." Her eyes went to the new mask then to the new suits. "This one is in my size. I'm going to test it out. This works out well enough, Phantom won't have to risk exposing himself just so that we could talk."

Agreeing, Damon started attaching the tubing to the correct ports. "Go get changed and we'll set this up."

Accepting that, Valerie picked up the new black and red wetsuit then left the room, heading to the locker room in order to change. Once the door closed behind her, Damon let out a soft sigh.

"You didn't destroy that chip, did you?" Kwan asked with concern, reading the look on Damon's voice.

"I did… After I copied the information," he answered. "Phantom wanted to see it broken. To make sure Vlad couldn't get it or use it. But when they were distracted, I copied the information into my computer then transferred it onto a disk. I still have it. I've been looking over it."

"You're risking a lot," the young man told him. "If Valerie finds out-"

"She won't, so long as you don't say anything," Damon informed sharply, fixing a glare onto the other.

"You want me to lie to Valerie?!" he exclaimed in disbelief. "She's always been able to read me!"

"Help me figure something out with the path patterns Phantom made and I will get some kind of answer to some of my questions. After that, I will destroy the disk and all the information will be unobtainable."

Kwan shook his head. "This is a bad idea and they both are going to be mad."

"I will take the brunt of it, but I need to know what this thing is trying to show me first. Most of the coordinates make no sense, but there is this one location that I need confirmed."

Inhaling deeply, the young man let out a low groan, looking up to the ceiling in a silent prayer for help. He should tell Valerie, he knows he should. But the temptation of information was strong.

Factoring in the merman that was carrying the chip around, Phantom either knew it was there, or didn't know until the scans revealed it and Valerie said something. Chances are that Phantom knew what the chip was designed to do, even if he doesn't understand how it is doing it. Meaning he must have been the originator of the idea to destroy the chip. If he finds out they still have the information, he will be quite angry.

Not to mention Valerie! If he does this, he risks his friendship with Valerie over some data. Damon is risking more just to get that same information. She would be hurt beyond belief that her own father was making such a risk for information that Phantom could just supply her if she asks the right questions. There was also the risk of Vlad Masters finding out about the copy Damon made that he could then easily confiscate.

Perhaps it would be better to help. That way, information is obtained faster, then the information could be destroyed physically, left only in the minds of two men that would either forget it in a few years time or would die without uttering a word of it. Coming to that conclusion, Kwan nodded in agreement.

"I swear, to both you and my daughter, and even to that damn pain in the ass outside, once we find out where this place is, I will get rid of all the information," Damon firmly stated.

"I hope so," Kwan responded softly. "Valerie won't trust us again if she finds out."

Damon sighed his acknowledgement, resisting the urge to run his hand down his face as the door opened and Valerie returned. "Hey, honey. Ready to try out our new toys?"

"Yep!" she chirped. "Checked in on Technus, too, before I came back. Weird thing, he wasn't in the aquarium."

"Maybe he's in the lagoon with Phantom," Kwan suggested with a small shrug.

"Hopefully," she sighed, taking the mask. "So, we going to test this out or stand around and look pretty all day?"

Damon chuckled. "Valerie, I think the only one of us three that can even be called pretty is currently in a wetsuit," he pointed out fondly.

**Here is a line!**

She felt a little girly getting excited over showing Phantom the new gear after successful testing. Others would test the rest, but the one she wore would be the one she uses to show off to the merman. Still, it was a little stupid to get excited over showing off a wetsuit and new gear, even in her mind. It wasn't like she was showing off a brand new dress to her fiancée. But it was still an exciting thought since they could communicate in the water better with this gear.

However, to her confusion and worry, Phantom wasn't in the lagoon. Calling out to him yielded no result. When she put the new gear on, she looked all over the lagoon. Other than some fish and crabs, there was nothing. No cocky merman trying to sneak up on her. No octopus crawling around.

Her worry grew as she pulled herself from the water and removed her mask, quickly shutting off the tank so that no oxygen would be wasted. Leaving the equipment where it was, not that anyone not working there could get to it anyway, she ran inside to locate her father. He was overlooking another diver testing another set in one of the indoor pools, but gave Valerie his full attention when she came running up to him.

"They're missing," she panted as soon as she stopped in front of him. "Phantom and Technus both. They're not in the lagoon!"

He didn't say a word. Signaling to Kwan to come with and for another person to take over the testing, they went to security. When they were at the door, he paused. "Does he still have the tracker?" he asked, looking to Valerie.

"No, I took it off," she answered. "He never said anything about leaving, though! He would have said something!"

He let out a low, irritated sigh as he swung the door open, causing Nathan (back on day shift) to nearly fall out of his chair in a mad scramble to hide whatever he was messing with. "Bring up the feeds from the lagoon," Damon ordered sharply.

"Yes, sir!" Nathan acknowledged quickly, turning to the screens and blowing up the two images that were both sides of the gates.

"Rewind until I tell you to stop."

White lines danced across the screen as it was sped in reverse, the light darkening from the near noon brightness to the dusk of dawn.

"Stop there!" Valerie exclaimed, her eyes wide as the video froze. At the edge of the image, from the camera facing east if the area was to be judged correctly, were a pair of turquoise legs that were half formed into a shark tail. "Rewind slowly." Slowly, the legs were pulling back, bringing the rest of the body with them until the man was on the land, crouched down in preparation to jump in.

"Who is that?" Nathan asked, trying to get a closer look at the screen. "Better questions, what is it?!"

Valerie pulled back, hands on her mouth as she let out a low exhale. "I didn't check in on them when I came in," she whispered in despair. "I should have checked."

"He got out before you even got here, Valerie," Kwan pointed out. "After eleven last night. Look at the time stamp."

"But if I looked in on him, we would have known sooner!" she exclaimed harshly. "He could be anywhere now!" Groaning into her hands and gripping her hair, she self-patronizingly added, "I just had to see the new gear first! Now he's missing and we have no way of tracking him!"

"Who?" Nathan asked, looking to the trio in confusion. "Seriously, who is that guy? Why is he naked?"

"Valerie, calm down!" Damon placated, hands on his daughter's shoulders as she was nearing tears. "You said so yourself, he can handle himself in the ocean."

"It's not about that!" Valerie stated, though she didn't know just what her hysterics were about.

"Hey!" Nathan shouted, waving his hand to the screen. "Who is that and what was he doing here and why is he blue?"

"Erase that footage," Damon ordered, pointing to the screen. "We'll blame it on a malfunction. And trust me, boy, the less you know, the safer you are." Wrapping an arm around Valerie's shoulders, he led her and Kwan from the room. "Come on. We're going to look for him."

**Here is a line!**

They were at least ten miles from land. The water was relatively deep, but the floor was only a couple hundred feet down. Pressure would be difficult, but the new equipment should not have a problem, if the statistics are to be believed.

"Valerie, are you sure about this?" Damon asked for the fifth time as she suited up.

"Phantom is more likely come to me than to either of you," she pointed out as Kwan helped her secure the tank on her back. "I know how to take care of myself in the ocean. I'll be fine."

"I know, but I still worry," he stated with a low sigh. "We don't even know if he's around here. He could be hundreds of miles away by now."

She shook her head. "No. He never said anything about leaving. He's been pretty stubborn about killing Mister Masters. I doubt he would leave before he accomplishes that. So he has to be close. If he's not here, then we'll look somewhere else. We'll go further out!"

"Valerie, maybe he just felt that it was time for him to leave, so he did," Damon tried to convince. "He wasn't taken. He left! You saw that."

"I know him better than you do, Daddy," Valerie informed as she slipped the mask on. "He wouldn't leave like that before getting what he wants." Not waiting for another word, she leaned back over the edge of the boat and fell in with a splash.

Gently kicking her legs, she descended into the ocean, eyes scanning over the coral scattered across the floor. Flashes of light caught her attention for a few seconds before realizing that it was just a school of fish swimming nearby, sunlight bouncing off their shimmering scales. Larger shadows in the distance told her of possible sharks in the water, though one did swim closer to investigate the sound of her entrance. Just a typical blue shark, large eyes trying to make out anything odd in its environment.

A small fish school swam by her, painted comber by the looks of them. None looked out of the ordinary, but they still brought a smile to her face as they swam by, a few looking over her and even bumping her with their mouths before swimming back to the school. The underwater current rocked her slightly when she started moving again, causing her to grip part of the small reef so that she wouldn't be taken further out.

"Phantom!" she called out, though her own voice was too loud for her own ears because of the mask. She wasn't sure how much of her voice even went out. Sighing deeply, she continued swimming.

There was a small crevice in the ground about ten meters away. Curious, she went to investigate it, estimating the crack to be about five feet wide and maybe twenty-five meters long. Grabbing the edge, she pulled herself to look down into it. It wasn't very deep, maybe five feet. Some lobsters were fighting over a spot and a few small fish were darting back and forth, occasionally nipping at the algae growing on the rock. Shaking her head, she checked how much oxygen she had then continued on.

About a half-hour later, she swam back to the boat, pulling her mask off once she breached the surface. "Not here," she informed as she climbed on board, Kwan quickly helping her remove the tank and turning it off. "He's not here."

"We'll try somewhere else," Damon sighed. "Valerie, don't hold your breath. He may be long gone."

Letting out a shaky breath, she shook her head. "I doubt it."

"Where to next?" Kwan asked insecurely, looking between the father and daughter.

"The closest coral reef," Valerie told him before Damon could. "He may be in a more populated area."

Huffing, Damon nodded his agreement. "Let's go."

**Here is a line!**

It took forty minutes of pushing the boat at top speed to get to the closest reef. Valerie never got out of her wetsuit, ready to dive in as soon as she had a fresh tank on her back.

The coral reef would be more populated than their last location, and not just with fish. Some dolphins have already greeted them by leaping alongside their boat. Chances were, sharks lurk below as well, drawn in by the various schools of fish they could eat. Once the boat was stopped and anchored, Valerie put a new tank on then went straight into the water as soon as her equipment was secure.

Instead of falling in like she did earlier, she eased herself into the water so that she wouldn't attract any potentially deadly company. Diving down, through all the blue water, beauty greeted her. Various shapes and colors of coral, anemones swaying in the soft currents with clown fish poking out then hiding again. Entertaining the thought of a little Nemo with a overly protective father named Marlin brought a chuckle to her, but she shook the memory of the movie from her mind and swam to the reef.

There were plenty of fish in the area. Schools of triggerfish, angelfish, she even spotted a few pufferfish among the crowds. Small rays glided across the bottom, crabs crawling about with one or two anemones on their backs and she though she saw a small sea snake swimming about. A flair of color brought her attention to a lionfish warning her away, which she calmly abided by. Hopefully the presence of one around here won't mean too much trouble for this ecosystem. Though it is an invasive species, so more are around somewhere.

Eels poked their heads out occasionally, one even snatching a shrimp that was trying to avoid the nearly hidden hole the moray was in. A hissing match started between a couple that got too close to each other. A shadow passing over her caused her to look up, seeing the belly of an adult great white swimming around the reef in search of food.

A yelp escaped her when something bumped her foot, earning amused clicks and squeals from the dolphin that had spooked her. Giving the aquatic mammal a half-amused look, she shook her head. "Not funny," she informed.

The dolphin squeal again, whole body bouncing in excitement.

Seeing something on the skin, Valerie got closer to take a better look. To her surprise, she saw scars of rope burn on the usually smooth skin. "I know you, don't I?" she chuckled, petting the dolphin's snout. "Yeah, you're the one that got tangled in the net after a storm, and I got into some trouble after freeing you." The dolphin bumped her side with its head, rubbing against her affectionately. "Glad to see you're doing okay."

The juvenile let out a few clicks, swimming away just a couple feet before turning back to her and bouncing in the water as it came back. She let out a soft laugh. "Sorry, I can't play. I'm looking for someone." She earned a half twisted tilted from the dolphin. "A friend. A shark merman. Seen him around? Or maybe someone that can help me find him?"

She wasn't expecting an answer. So the dolphin letting out a cry as it started swimming along the reef was a surprise. Then the dolphin spun around to come back and started nudging her forth. Others came as well, a small pod of young males by the looks of them, which wasn't anything unusual. They swam away, Valerie following after them in curiosity.

The small group stayed closed together, some twisting and circling around another in the pod playfully. Ten minutes later, her tank down to ninety percent now, the dolphins broke away, leaving the first with her. He clicked and swam down a small dip in the reef, leading her to a cave tucked away and surrounded by color.

"Is that…?" she whispered, looking to the dolphin as it swam into the cave, calling out merrily. "One way to find out. Please don't get mad and eat me."

She followed after the juvenile deeper into the cave, mindful of the sharp rocks that lined the walls and the fish watching from the seaweed along the floor. The dolphin let out laughing squeaks as it suddenly turned and swam away. Valerie hoped it wasn't because it just pulled a prank on her.

"The calves are back," someone grunted from further down, the voice slightly muted by distance and the mask.

Gasping, Valerie swam further in, clinging to the wall as she looked around. She was at the entrance of a spacious cavern with a mermaid laying on the sand, her black and teal tail seemingly curled around something as her teal hair floated around her head, her humanish skin a pale-white shade.

"Don't you mind them now, pup," she murmured sweetly. "Just close your eyes and go to sleep." A low hum started drifting from her, her head rocking side to side slowly.

Easing into the cavern, not wanting to scare the mermaid that was probably dealing with a mer-baby if she heard right, Valerie gently cleared her throat. "Excuse me?"

The mermaid snapped around, her body curling around the wide-awake infant as green eyes met hers in a harsh glare, her lips twisting into a snarl. "Who are you?! What are you doing on my den, human?!"

"I was led here!" Valerie quickly explained. "That dolphin, he brought me here when I asked for some help finding someone!"

She lowered down to cover the child more, Valerie taking note than the infant had the tail of a shark, a bull if she was judging correctly. Wait, she knows of a dolphin mated with a bull shark. "You have no business here! I should kill you where you float!"

"Wait, wait, wait!" she gasped, afraid the mermaid would lunge in defense of the youngling under her. "My name is Valerie. I'm looking for a friend of mine, a tiger shark merman named… Hell, what was it? …Jardan! I'm looking for Jardan!"

That seemed to calm the mermaid into a more confused state. "Jar-fish?" she scoffed. "With a human friend? Yeah, that'll be the day. Though you don't look surprised about me. If you're really his friend, then who am I?"

It took Valerie a moment to remember the names of the couple Phantom said he was somewhat friends with. "You are Ember, right? And your mate is a bull shark merman named Skulker. Right?"

She huffed, her body relaxing though still ready to spring at her if Valerie made one wrong move. "You got that right," she confirmed. "Name's Ember, and this is Youngblood. Don't ask. Skulker named him." The young mer-boy peeked up at her with his own bright green eyes, short green hair covering his scalp and his skin the same white as his mother. "By the way, it is rude to enter a merfolk's den without gaining permission first. So, what are you doing way out here looking for Dan? Last I heard, he went to find that idiotic Fright Knight."

"When did he go do that?" Valerie asked, swimming a little closer until she noticed Ember tensing again. She stopped, waving her arms slowly to try and float in place.

"Been doing it for the past few nights," the mermaid clarified with a shrug. "Not sure where he's been during the day. His scent was out of the water for a while until last week."

"He's been doing this every night?" Valerie whispered in surprise, her brows tightening in thought. "But he's always back when the sun is up. He hasn't said anything about leaving at night."

"Oh, so he's with you," Ember commented uncaringly. "Huh. I thought it was weird that the one merman that hates humans so much has a human friend. You're a little more than that, aren't you?"

Valerie rolled her eyes. "He keeps saying he'll make me his queen," she informed.

"Well, if you don't mind me saying so, he's got himself a good female for the job," the mermaid snickered, scooping her infant up into her arms. "Not a lot of females would go hunting down their mate, even invading into other dens, in search of him. Want my advice?"

Looking to her, Valerie nodded. "Any bit would help."

"Go home." The young woman blinked at her in surprise, earning a sigh from the dolphin mermaid. "If he's been getting back to you every day, then he is going to be back on his own time. He may have gotten turned around, or Fright Knight is being a typical pain in the fin. But he'll be back. Give him a good whack upside his stupid head for worrying you as soon as you see him. Trust me, it'll make you feel better."

"You really think he'll just come back?" Valerie asked skeptically.

"He wouldn't leave his soon-to-be queen all of a sudden unless he plans on coming back. So he'll come back. Try looking in the water closest to your place. He's probably around there, wondering where you are. Or if you stay on whatever brought you out here, he'll come here to you. Trust me on this, Skulker does the same thing whenever we get into an argument and I take Youngblood here and swim away."

Sighing, Valerie looked over her shoulder to the short tunnel that would take her back to the open water. "What if he's hurt or something?"

"Oh, he's probably hurt," Ember scoffed, rolling her eyes. "But come on! The guy took down Pariah Dark! He can handle himself just fine. He's been doing pretty well since he was a pup." Hesitantly, Ember swam closer, little more than a foot from her. "Hey. Dan is fine. Go back to whatever you came here in and wait if you really want to see. Or go home and wait for him to get back there. Either way, get out of my den. I was trying to get my pup to sleep."

Valerie chuckled nervously. "Sorry about that."

She shrugged. "Eh, he's still quiet, so I think we're good. And if you see my mate out there, tell him that I said to mind his own business and get back in here. I didn't become his mate just to be the sole caregiver of his pup. He's doing some time in here with his son, too!"

"I'll let him know if I see him," Valerie laughed gently as she turned around. "It was… actually nice to meet you."

"Yeah, yeah, go away," the mermaid waved off as she returned to her spot in the sand.

Smiling gently, she swam out of the den and almost right into the snarling mouth of a large black and green bull shark. Her eyes were wide for a minute as she held up a hand. "Um, Ember said to mind your own business and get in there because she did not agree to be your mate just to take care of your pup," she rattled off, holding back a snicker as the shark's eyes widened. "Valerie, friend of Dan's," she introduced herself. "And I am leaving. Bye!"

Swimming around the shark that watched her in bafflement, she made her way back to the ship as quickly as she could, especially since her talk with Ember lasted longer than she expected. Her oxygen was down to eighteen percent. She'll have to get this equipment checked again. The oxygen shouldn't drain like that.

**Here the Chapter Ends**

**Obviously, Phantom will be back soon. How will Valerie react when she sees him? Well that might be a bit of fun, and potentially cause a revelation that could push forth a certain situation. **

**Let me know what you guys think! ^^**


	13. Underwater Meeting

**Alright. Will Phantom return early in the chapter or will we just look in on him? Even as I write this note, I have no clue. You guys need to realize that most of what I type is on the fly, no preplanning a majority of the time. Even when I try to plan it, typing it is another story entirely.**

**Literally.**

**Anyway, disclaimer: I do not own any Danny Phantom or random references thrown about.**

**Here the Chapter Starts**

"What do you mean the shark is gone?!" Vlad shouted angrily into his phone, his hand slamming down on the table. "How did he get out?!" He seethed, knowing the merman king could easily get out whenever he wanted to. But with cameras all over, he doubted that Jardan would just leave in plain view of them. Then he heard about Damon Gray using 'Phantom' to find his daughter when she was lost at sea and they couldn't get the shark out of the lagoon.

"I want more cameras installed around that lagoon, the entire perimeter! And once that shark is recaptured, put him in a damn tank!" Not waiting for a confirmation to his demand, he slammed the phone down then slid it off the desk. Everything rides on that damn merman, and he's missing!

"You should relax, Vladimir," Plasmius chuckled lowly as he used his talons to cut into a chunk of beef. "Jardan wouldn't leave his pretty little mate-to-be all alone. And he wouldn't leave the one place he knows where you are. And since I am around you, he basically has two targets in one spot." Leaning forward, his lips stretched into a sickening grin. "Tell me, has the new equipment made it to your facility yet?"

"It has," he confirmed with a sharp nod.

"Then next time we go in, I can sabotage a few and let nature take its little course," Plasmius said calmly, digging back into the bleeding chunk of meat. Never mind that he did slip in already and may have 'altered' things here and there.

"No!" Vlad denied firmly. "Anyone could end up wearing whichever you ruin. You could end up killing someone else!"

"Like they matter," the ray merman scoffed, rolling his eyes in annoyance. "Learn this, Vladimir, humans are weak, basically useless, and destructive. Killing a few just shallows out the gene pool for the dumber ones."

"I will not have you run around and potentially kill all of my staff," the man snarled at him, earning a sharp glare in return. "I agreed to help you bring down Jardan. No one else. You will not endanger my staff!"

"Should watch how you speak to me, boy!" Plasmius snarled, tossing his steak to the side as he jumped to his feet. "I can end you in an instant! I helped make you and I can just as easily destroy you!"

"You made nothing for me but my fortune," Vlad sneered. "You want to take the king down and claim his throne? Fine! You want to kill his mate to shatter him first? Go ahead! But I will not tolerate needless murders! Do you understand me?"

Scoffing, Plasmius turned to the side and gave the irritated human a dismissive wave over his shoulder. "I suppose there are other ways of killing a human without anyone pointing fingers to someone else," he mused softly, picking out red meat caught under his talons. "Do not expect to continuously defy me, Vladimir, and for me to instantly obey. You still need me as much as I need you."

Vlad let out a huff as he linked his hands behind his straightened back. "I have a meeting to attend. Do be a good boy and try not to scare the maids into quitting again," he informed as he grabbed a nearby folder and held it to his chest. His answer was another roll of red eyes as he left the room. Glancing over his shoulder confirmed that the merman wasn't following him.

Good. He needs a few moments away from the ray. With Plasmius always hovering over his shoulder, he can't do what he knows he should. Valerie Gray holds the key to peace with the merfolk, especially if she agrees to be Jardan's queen. The merfolk would fall into ruin and perish if Plasmius were to take the role as king. He refuses to be the blind little brat he was when he first met the merman.

Taking a seat in the backseat of his limo, he placed the file beside him and pulled out his phone after a quick glance around the vehicle. A subtle look at the rearview mirror confirmed that Plasmius wasn't acting as chaperone today. Sometimes he does it just to annoy the billionaire. Apparently, their disagreement was enough to keep the merman to himself for a while. Rolling up the window to block the driver from hearing him, though still see through to whatever was behind them, he selected a contact and waited for the phone to be answered.

"Mister Gray, Vlad Masters," he informed when the phone was answered. "I am afraid I do not have your daughters contact information. That should be rectified. I need to speak with her. Is she available?"

**Here is a line!**

Regarding the merman in front of him with a cold stare was satisfying, if only because it made the swordfish squirm. "So I am to expect your full loyalty and cooperation, no matter how much you may disagree with me?" he inquired knowingly.

"Yes, my liege," the black and grey merman replied, lowering his dark head, which causing his long purple hair to float about him. "You as the rightful King of the Seas, I am your most loyal and humble servant. Your guard and line of defense."

"You did quite a job when you were defending Pariah Dark," he mocked, recalling how easily the swordfish merman was defeated, even though he still left that large injury on him. "Should I expect better of you than what you provided him?"

"The males of my family have been his loyal slaves for generations, awaiting his return," the knight replied. "If I may be honest, sire, my opinion of him was quite lacking. You, however, are worthy of following."

Phantom huffed sardonically, lying on the lone boulder overlooking the space where Fright Knight floated in place. "Tell me your true name, Knight," he ordered.

"I am called Edmundus, but Fright Knight is the title passed down to the firstborn sons of my sire's line. It is a symbol of our status as the king's guard."

"Edmundus? I believe that is what humans say translates into 'prosperous protector'. Correct?"

"My family firmly believes is meaningful names," the knight confirmed with a nod. "What will you have of me, sire?"

"Answers, first of all," Phantom replied, placing his chin on his open palm with the impression of boredom. "Tell me of the exile Plasmius."

"Him?!" the swordfish exclaimed in shock. "Why do you wish to know, sire?"

"I require the information, so you will tell me what you know," he stated with a glare directed at the other.

Swallowing, the merman nodded in acceptance. "The exile Plasmius was charged with the crimes of raping mermaids and slaying their younglings," he started. "With the former king being frozen in ice, there was no one to pass proper judgement. In such a harsh case, he would have been executed and left for the ordinaries to feast upon. However, he was exiled to land for the rest of his days. It was deemed that killing him was letting him off too easily and that he should suffer for his crimes."

"Instead, he terrorizes the humans above and any merfolk unfortunate to cross his path on land," Phantom growled. "He should have been killed as soon as he was captured!"

"I agree completely, my liege, but it was out of my hands at that time," the knight informed. "My sire was one who opted for exile. I would prefer he were slain on the spot."

"Who was it that passed his judgement if Pariah Dark was unavailable at the time?" the shark inquired curiously, eyes narrowing in a silent dare for the swordfish to try and avoid the question.

The dare was not taken, but it wasn't the knight who answered. "A group called only the Observers."

Snarling at the intrusion, Phantom snapped towards the voice and paused in surprise. A purple and blue jellyfish merman was floating in place, a staff with a sparkling blue and white crystal in his hand. Crimson eyes locked with his own pair, one scarred, but they were dancing with knowledge and a hint of mischief. The edge of the jellyfish bell reached halfway down his tentacles that were loosely wrapping around whatever they could to try and keep him in place.

"It was they who wanted to exile him instead of killing him," the newcomer informed, ignoring the swordfish grasping his blade and getting between him and the king. "I told them they were being foolish and it would only bring disaster. They simply don't listen to anyone beyond themselves. Rest assured, sire, with you in charge, they hold less power now than before. You just strike me as the type of merman that won't allow anyone other than one person sway your decision."

"And you know me so well," Phantom scoffed. "I assume you are Clockwork. My queen said she met with you before."

"You already selected a queen, my liege?" Knight inquired curiously.

"I was curious about her," the jellyfish replied. "After all, humans cannot be trusted as they are a selfish species. So I set up a little test for her. I admit, I was not actually expecting her to jump in the water, disregard her own safety, just to save a young ordinary. I even manipulated the currents to pull her away just to see if you would be willing to find her." He chuckled lowly, crossing his staff over his chest to impersonate leaning on it. "And from what I understand, she is not yet your mate."

"Yet, but she will be," the shark merman growled lowly.

"As your advisor, perhaps you shall listen to my words," Clockwork said calmly as he rose higher to be level with the laying king. "Do not force her to make a choice she would be unhappy with. You may want me to change her with the gift of my line, but I will refuse to do so unless she asks me personally."

Phantom snarled, charging at the jellyfish merman and wrapping his claws fingers around the other's neck, slamming him into a wall of the cavern they were meeting in. "As your king, you will do as I say!"

"I will not," Clockwork denied, unafraid of the claws digging into his skin. "If you force the matter into your own hands, your mate will never forgive you. You will lose her. Besides, from my brief meeting with young Valerie, I did sense there is more to her than you are aware. In fact, as close as you think you are, I am surprised you failed to notice."

"You should know better than to disrespect the king," Fright Knight scowled, arm lifted and poised to strike as soon as he received the command. "Even an ancient like you is obligated to respect and obey him!"

Clockwork chuckled humorlessly. "Who says I am an ancient? I am much like you, Fright Knight. My name is but a title passed down my line. I do not even have a true name like you do, and neither will my offspring. We are all Clockwork. As for you, Jardan… Or would you prefer Phantom?" The fingers around his throat clenched tighter, but it hardly affected him. He is, after all, a jellyfish. "Do not think the title of 'King' gives you the right to decide what is to be done with every life. Our lives, our decisions, are not yours. And that includes your mate."

Phantom snapped his hand away, leaving long cuts around the merman's neck. "Once my goal is complete, Valerie will accept her role at my side. You will use your magic to change her!"

"Only when she wishes it will it be," the jellyfish added knowingly. "Be more observant of her. Maybe you will see it soon enough. As it is, she has been searching the water for you. I recommend returning to her before someone of less pleasant intentions gets to her. After all, any mermaid would love to be the king's mate."

Scowling, Phantom jabbed a sharp nail into Clockwork's chest. "This discussion is far from over." Shoving the other into the wall one final time, he swam from the cavern.

Shaking his head, Clockwork turned to the knight glaring at him. "Keep the information you heard secret for now," he suggested. "I do not think our people are ready to hear that our new king has intentions for a human mate."

"Any who defy or disrespect him will be punished by me personally," the swordfish assured sharply. "He is, after all, far more worthy of being our king than the last."

"Nice to know we agree on something. Your father could never agree with me on anything." Letting out a mocking gasp of realization, he regarded the swordfish with a smirk. "Tell me, how does Dora fair? From what I understand-"

"She is well," the knight snapped, baring his teeth aggressively. "His attempts were unsuccessful."

"Oh, good! The last thing we need are young leviathans trying to reclaim the oceans again. It was a nightmare getting rid of them the first time."

"Yet another thing we can agree on, jelly."

Clockwork taunted him with a grin, hearing his child snicker from behind the wall of coral where he hid him. "I think we'll get along just fine."

**Here is a line!**

Night had fallen and Phantom had not returned to the building. Valerie wanted to stay and wait to see if the merman would be back, but her father was adamant that she return home. They plan to give Phantom at least two more days before going out to search again.

The call from Vlad was a surprise, his message even more so. He wanted to meet with her and Phantom once the merman returns. Or as soon as they could. He admitted to having a slight problem himself that may make it difficult for him to meet them alone, but she was to call him and they would plan from there. She tried to warn him of what the merman wanted to do, but he said he was already aware and they will discuss it more when they meet.

Though that only matters if Phantom returns. She wasn't aware of just how much of her life centered around that shark until he was just… gone! She knew most of her day was taken up just speaking with him, swimming with him, but without him there, she felt lost. Almost incomplete. Hollow. She was worried about the merman, wanting to know where he is and what he has been up to. Then she wants to hit him, like Ember suggested. Maybe a few times.

"Hey!" someone greeted cheerfully, making Valerie jolt in surprise. Looking over, she saw a man a few years older than her, dressed like he was trying to be cool but his whole demeanor just screamed 'sleezeball'. His bleached hair was slicked back, probably with the oiliest gel he could find, and his teeth were yellow, eyes bloodshot, not to mention she caught a whiff of alcohol clinging to his clothes. "What's a pretty little thing like you doing out here by yourself?"

"Waiting for a friend," she brushed off, getting to her feet and crossing her arms with a cock of her hip. Best way to deal with guys like this was to show absolutely no hesitation or fear. She knows she can kick this guy's ass if he tries anything, anyway. "He's supposed to be here any second."

"Making a pretty lady like you wait seems like a shitty thing to do," the guy chuckled, his back hunching over as he let out a hacking laugh.

"Whatever you're selling, I'm not buying," Valerie warned, her body tensing for fight or flight, whichever she may need to do.

"Who says I'm selling anything?" he asked, looking over her lewdly. "Maybe I'm the buyer."

"I'm sure as hell not selling," she growled, her lips twitching up in distaste as she took a step back.

He wasn't taking her warning seriously, which was obvious when he grabbed her and pulled her against his body. "No need to be like that, sweetheart," he purred, grinning at her struggling to free her arms. But the limbs were trapped between their chest. "I bet I can keep you company."

She huffed, glaring at him before leaning her head back and snapping it forth, headbutting him in the face. He released her, stumbling back and holding a hand to his bleeding nose. "Not if you were the last guy on the planet!" she snapped, getting into a defensive stance as the man straightened up and glared angrily at her.

Blood pouring into his mouth and coating his gritting teeth, he snarled, "You bitch!" He lunged for her, but she sidestepped him and brought her elbow down between his shoulders to knock him off balance. He stumbled into the sand, but quickly got to his feet and charged at her again, his arms catching her when she tried to evade and trapping her under his body when they went down. She kicked and hit, but his legs were over hers and his hands held her wrists. "I was going to be easy on you, but you just had to piss me off!"

"Fuck you!" she spat, wriggling a leg free and kneeing him in the groin. He fell sideways, off of her, which allowed Valerie to jump up and get away from him.

"Get back here, whore! When I get my hands on you-!"

The threat was cut off suddenly with a snarl and a yell. Her feet almost skidded to a stop as she spun around, seeing the man on the ground with a very angry merman hovering over him. Claws fingers wrapped around his throat and sharp teeth baring down in his face, Valerie was just surprised the guy didn't piss himself.

"Finish those words, I dare you," Phantom snarled, his claws digging into the pale skin of the human's throat.

All her attacker could do was whimper pitifully.

"Phantom!" Valerie called, bringing the merman's attention to her. "Don't kill him. Feel free to knock him out, though."

Phantom grinned, grabbing the man by his hair and dragging him up as he stood. The guy whimpered even louder, his weak hands trying to pry off the merman's much stronger grip. Then he slammed him down into the sand, the impact kicking up the sparkling grains in a cloud. When the cloud cleared, there was a small crater around the merman and the human was unconscious.

"There," he scoffed, turning to Valerie. Though her angered posture and gaze confused him. "What? He's still alive."

"Where were you?!" she shouted. "I get into work, and I know I should have gone to the lagoon first, but it wouldn't have mattered! Because you weren't there! I went diving in the ocean trying to figure out where you went, and all I got was a chance to meet Ember and her kid, and she tells me you've been sneaking out for nights!"

"I lost track of time when I finally found the Knight and we spoke for a little while," he excused. "Why are you so angry? I have returned!"

"Because I was worried about you and had no idea what was going on!" she nearly screamed, her body trembling as she ranted. "You don't just disappear like that without saying something! You could have been hurt out there and I would not have known! Some random cryptic hunter could have caught you, and no one would be the wiser about it! For all I knew, you just left for no reason!"

As she raved at the merman, he closed the distance between them. "I had things to do," he replied calmly, staring down at her. "I apologize that my errand caused you distress. That was not my intention, Valerie."

"You could have said something," she spat, slapping his shoulder angrily. "Anything! Just talk to me!"

"You would worry over it nonetheless," he pointed out with a shrug.

"But at least I would have known what was going on! Goddamn it, Dan, if you want some kind of relationship with me, then we need some real communication! Or is your stupid agenda all you care about?!"

His hands gripped her arms to hold her in place, their eyes meeting each other. He was still calm, slightly annoyed, but he could easily see that Valerie is furious with him. "Would that really have made it better?" he asked lowly. "Or would you just be angry because I did not return sooner? I have things I need to do and things I want to do, Valerie. I cannot keep you informed of everything."

"You can sure as hell try," she scolded, pushing him away. "I can't keep worrying about you. I can't keep working myself up like this every time you disappear because you keep secrets!"

"Very well," he accepted with a nod, letting her go. "You wish to talk, then let us talk."

Rolling her eyes with a frustrated sigh, Valerie shook her head. "Not out here. Anyone could see you and freak out." Nudging her head to the side, she added, "Come on. My car is right over there. We can go to my place. Tomorrow, we're going back to the facility."

**Here the Chapter Ends**

**Wow. That was less than I expect. But I hope everyone still liked it. **

**Next chapter, some things get cleared up between them. Hopefully. Maybe a bit more, if I play my cards right. We shall see. ;)**

**Let me know what you guys think!**


	14. Much Needed Discussion

**Okay. There will be more story-related things discussed here. Then, if everything plays out properly, there will be some other things here. Let us hope for the best. For now…**

**Disclaimer! I do not own Danny Phantom or any references that pop up. Quite a few might pop up this chapter, so heads up!**

**Here the Chapter Starts**

Valerie never thought her home was much. A few trinkets and knick-knacks that expressed bits of her if anyone ever looked at them long enough. A few pictures of her family and friends on the walls. Everything was a neutral color, which made it easier to collect things without having to worry about anything jumping out with a burst of color that could make anyone stagger. It is a simple home, big enough for her and a guest, with a decent size backyard, a pool right in the middle of it.

But the way Phantom was looking around almost made her self-conscious about it. He showed her how his home looked, the wondrous mesh of colors from coral, fish, and crystals all melded together in the deep blue with the sunlight dancing across them as it penetrated the waves. Her home must seem dull in comparison.

Sighing, she locked the door behind her, hoping none of her neighbors noticed the naked, turquoise man that came out of her car and followed her into her house. "First of all, you're wearing something," she declared, walking around the merman that was staring at a picture on the wall. "I will not have you walking around my house naked!"

"Why are you humans so obsessed with covering yourselves?" he asked incredulously as she entered the bathroom and grabbed a towel. "Especially you, Valerie. You are a true beauty. It is a shame I cannot see more."

She threw the towel at him, earning a curious look. "Wrap that around your waist while I find something that may be better for you to wear," she instructed as she stepped into the guestroom. Normally her father would spend the night in this room if there were late nights and she didn't want him driving home dead tired. Because of such, any clothing for men would be in here. "And humans wear clothes because walking around naked is considered indecent. People get into trouble." She kept the knowledge of nude beaches and communities to herself. "People also get embarrassed about how they look, so they don't show off. Especially people that get body shamed."

"Body shamed?" Phantom repeated, entering the doorway while holding the towel on his waist.

"Yeah, cruel human thing," she growled, remembering Paulina doing such to her when they first met before finding out she came from money. Star, at least, didn't do it. But Paulina? Whole other story. "The thin and beautiful make fun of the fat and ugly, even if they aren't that fat or ugly. Then they go sharing it with everyone to embarrass them. People have gotten into trouble for body shaming, but it hasn't been classified as a real crime, maybe a misdemeanor. Depends." Pulling out a pair of boxers, she handed them over to the merman. "Put those on."

Phantom regarded them with a sneer, but did as he was told begrudgingly. It was loose on his hips and didn't hug his legs, so it wasn't rubbing his skin wrong like that 'towel' was. Bundle of strings sticking out kept catching onto his sharkskin and making it itch. "You have nothing to be ashamed of. You have a magnificent figure. Your breast as nicely shaped and well supported, and your hips are perfectly proportioned to your slim waist. Not to mention how you move. It is entrancing!"

"Okay, not discussing this with you!" Valerie exclaimed, covering his mouth with her hand. "You don't just go talking about someone's body like that!"

He cocked his head to the side, pulling her hand off his mouth. "Why not? It is a common topic among my people. One of the first things Skulker told Ember was how pleasing he found her body."

Valerie rolled her eyes and shook her head. "We're not talking about this," she informed firmly as she pushed him out of the room. "So long as you have your junk covered, I think we'll be fine."

"My… junk?" he repeated, brows knitting together in confusion before he realized what she was talking about. "Oh, you mean my penis."

"Oh my god, you don't do that!" she exclaimed with a startled laugh. "Inappropriate to humans!"

"How so?" he asked. "Do you find me inadequate? Because I will have you know, even among my people, I am considered-"

"Dan! Stop right there!" she shouted while poorly stifling any laughs from the merman's comment. "First of all, not checking you out. Second, even if I was -just to shut you up- to humans, you're bordering huge. Not that I was looking! But you sure as hell don't hide it." Clapping her hands together and ignoring his smug look, she directed him to the living room. "Now, sit down and tell me what you were doing all day."

He regarded the couch curiously then eased himself down into it, his red eyes widening in surprise when he sank into the cushion. Valerie swore he looked ready to bolt off it if he wasn't so baffled. "I was searching for Fright Knight," he explained, looking over the couch and pressing random points on it. "I thought it odd that he, as the king's guard, was so easy to defeat. Either he was simply weak, or he allowed me to defeat him easily. I wanted to make sure which it was. He told me he did not care for Pariah Dark, but he does find me a worthier king to follow than him."

"So he let you get by him and to Pariah Dark?" she asked, bringing a knee to her chest and resting her cheek on it.

"Not without injury," he replied, his hand tracing over the scarred flesh on his side. "He had to make it convincing, you see. While we spoke, Clockwork also arrived." Here he paused, looking away in slight shame.

"Did something happen?" Valerie pressed, nudging his hip with her foot.

"I told him that he will change you when I demand him to," he admitted.

"What?" she hissed, glaring at him. "You said you don't care!"

"Just as you worry for me, I worry for you," the merman informed sternly, meeting her glare with his own piercing gaze. "You do not seem to understand the way of my people. If anything were to happen to you, yes I will be enraged. I would kill whoever harmed you! But if you met anyone other than Skulker or Ember in the water today, someone like that eel Desiree or that clingy thresher Spectra, you could have been killed! Any mermaid would want to be my mate simply because I am the king! If you just accept the change, you could defend yourself against them if you encounter them in the sea."

"People have ways," she stated. "I generally have something on me for protection. I would have been fine."

"Not if they broke your metal tubes of air," he pointed out. "Then they could have kept you in the water and watched you drown. As a mermaid, you would not have to fear drowning or rely on open air all the time. You could breathe above and below!"

"Uh-huh. And what did Clockwork say?"

"He said that he will not change you unless you wish it to happen. And that I should be more observant of you because he could sense something that I, apparently, am unable to sense." Looking over her curiously, he asking, "Were there any merfolk in your lineage?"

Valerie shook her head. "Not that I'm aware of," she answered. "Both my parents are human, their parents are human, and so on down the line. I did a project on my family tree in high school and there was nothing unusual about it."

Phantom hummed then shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Something tells me the way he speaks is going to aggravate me," he commented, leaning into the backrest and crossing his arms. Frowning, he wriggling against it and rolled his shoulders before leaning forward again. "It's itchy."

"Is not!" she protested. "This, mister, is made of polyester nylon. It may be synthetic, but it is not itchy!"

"It irritates my skin," he commented sourly, glaring at the furniture.

"Whatever. So, the king has a guard? I thought all merfolk fight their own battles."

"Usually, yes. But the king is different. Most fights for certain things can be handled by myself, but challenges for the crown are a different matter. In order for the king to not waste his time on a weakling with dreams of royalty, the guard fights the challengers first to get a feel for them. Should the guard be defeated or believe the challenger is worthy of the king's time, then they will concede, like Fright Knight did with me."

"Doesn't the challenger also get weakened, though? And tired?"

"Sometimes. I was, yet I still won."

"You ate him from the inside out."

"I only swallowed a mouthful when I was hungry enough," he muttered, turning his head away. "We try our best to not resort to cannibalism, but some things are difficult to avoid. Skulker told me when I emerged that I was inside Pariah Dark for nearly two weeks. I got hungry and needed to eat in order to keep up my strength."

"Okay then," she sighed, her eyes wide. "Tasted bad, huh?"

"Absolutely disgusting," he grouched, his lips twisting in distaste.

She snickered into her knee, though he knew she was smirking in amusement just from the light dancing in her eyes. "So, want to tell me why exactly you're after Vlad Masters?" she asked. "I know you said he's a threat, and I figure it had something to do with him killing your mom. But I keep feeling like that isn't the whole story."

Phantom shook his head. "It isn't," he confessed with a low sigh. "Vlad Masters is a descendant of a merman or mermaid. I never bothered to ask him, but I could smell it in his blood, though badly diluted. Many generations ago, most likely. In his company is an exile by the name of Plasmius, a giant ray merman."

Valerie's leg lowered as she looked to the merman in confusion. "Whoa, you have to slow down a bit with the information because that little bit just threw me off," she stated, earning a chuckle from him. "Vlad Masters has a mer-ancestor?"

"Yes. Until it reaches the point of the gene being overpowered by the human gene, merfolk can still smell it in the blood of a descendant."

"Okay. Now, an exile?"

"Exiles are merfolk who committed terrible crimes, but not grave ones. Grave crimes are punishable by death. But exiles are expelled from the oceans for a certain amount of years, depending on the one who sentences them. If an exile were to return to the sea before their sentence is over, merfolk will smell them in the water, hunt them down, and kill them."

"A little harsh."

"Most consider it a mercy," he brushed off. "A lot of exiles end up losing their minds, or are so desperate for the sea that they are willing to die just to get back to it. It is a harsh punishment. Few exiles last long enough to return after their sentence. Those that leave the water of their own choice have an easier time adjusting, and can still return to the ocean to keep in touch with themselves."

"But how does anyone know if an exile is returning before they're supposed to?" she pressed, leaning closer in anticipation.

"They are scent-marked as exiles with a special salve that cannot be washed away, only worn down," he explained. "All merfolk know the scent of the exile, so when they smell it, they surge to kill that exile. Judging from how thin the salve is made measures the length of time for the exile. But when it is used without any dilution, it will last a lifetime. Plasmius has such a salve on him. He is forbidden from returning to the sea for the rest of his life."

"Wow. So who is he and what did he do?" Valerie inquired worriedly. A merman being exiled from the ocean for life? Whatever it was must have been extremely serious.

"His crime should have resulted in his death," Phantom snarled darkly, his hands clenching tight enough for him to feel the bite of his claws digging into his palms. "He raped several mermaids and slew their younglings, some he sired himself if rumors are to be believed. No one knows why he was exiled, though, instead of killed. Clockwork said it was a group called the Observers who decided, even though others called for death."

"Shit!" she exclaimed in shock, her eyes wide and back straight in her shock. "And that guy is around Mister Masters?!"

"Worse, he's manipulated him," the merman corrected. "Masters was the one who captured my mother and I because Plasmius was targeting her before his exile. Fuck, before I was even born from what she said. I don't know what he said to that human to get him to work for him, but because of him, I was beaten to near death several times trying to defend my mother from him. Sometimes, I felt I was unsuccessful."

Her heart broke as Phantom bowed his head and let out a shaky sigh. Though unsure how he would react, she eased herself over until she was pressed against him and placed her head on his shoulder, one hand on his bent elbow and the other on the opposite shoulder. She could feel his body trembling, though from withheld sadness or rage was unknown.

"I would be beaten to unconsciousness, hearing her beg him to stop. When I would wake, she would be curled up in a ball with new injuries, reeking of fresh blood. But she always… always wrapped herself around me when he was done with her. Like she was protecting me. And all I did was fail to protect her!"

"How old were you?" she whispered softly.

"Nine at that time, ten when we escaped, but it doesn't matter," he growled, glaring at nothing in particular.

"Phantom, you were just a kid at that time," Valerie point out soothingly, petting back the hair hanging over his forehead. "What could you do against a full grown merman?"

"Whatever I could!"

She sighed sadly, the hand on his elbow rising to his bicep and squeezing reassuringly. "You did do what you could, and she did what she could to save you," she pointed out softly, her thumb caressing his skin. "You were all she had, just as she was all you had in that place. If she didn't draw him from you, he would have killed you. Even if she survived, she would probably never forgive herself for failing you. Because you are her child and it wasn't your job to protect her. It was her job to protect you."

He growled lowly in his throat, but moved his head over to the side to nuzzle against her. "It doesn't matter anymore. She is dead and gone. He killed her. But I will avenge her death. Both Masters and Plasmius will die by my hands." He huffed, his breath pushing a few stray strands of her hair. "We both got out of the cage. We were running to freedom when he showed up."

Closing her eyes as she listened, Valerie found herself on a stone patio in the middle of the night. Panting as she looked over her shoulder to see the tall, worryingly scrawny woman following her. Thoughts not her own _we're close, so close_ screaming in her head. But then a black-haired merman stood between them, grinning wickedly as he blocked them from their only escape. Then she –_no, Phantom_\- snarled, getting between him and the woman - _his mother_.

_The blue merman with the insane red eyes charged and Phantom was pulled down to the side by his mother, both falling to the ground. They were closer to the wall now._

"_Run," she ordered, pushing him to the wall before getting up and facing Plasmius._

"_No, Mom! Get back!" he argued._

_Her hand was on his shoulder and she gave him a sad smile before kissing his forehead. "I love you." With as much strength as her weak arms couldn't possibly possess, she shoved him back. He tripped backwards over his feet, tumbling over the wall and falling into the water. _

_His legs changed into his tail, quickly pushing himself back to the surface. "Mom! Mom!" He tried climbing the wall, but it was too slick for him to cling to. "Mom!" He dove down as deep as he could go then surged back up to jump from the water. The wall was only fifteen feet. He can make it! But his hands only scratched the stone halfway up. "No! Mom!" Diving again, he shot back up for another jump, but his second attempt was no better. "MOM!" _

_A crack in the air, thunder without the flash of lightning streaking across the sky. He froze, the water moving around him to strike at the wall he failed to jump. "Mom? …Mom!" A body flew over the wall, falling to the water. Recognizing the teal skin and red hair, he dove down after her. "Mom!" Why wasn't she shifting? Why is she still carrying legs and not her tail?_

_Why was a thin cloud of blood coming from her? _

_He grabbed hold of her, shaking her. Her eyes, open and unseeing, stared back as the water played with her limp form. "Mom? Mom, wake up. We can go home now. He can't get to us here." She wasn't moving. Wasn't answering him. He shook her in his arms, eyes spotting the hole in her chest where the blood was coming from but not wanting to register just what it could mean. "Mom, wake up!"_

Valerie gasped as the vision cleared, a cold hand on her face stroking her cheek. She pulled away, wiping her face with her hands. No surprise, she was crying.

"She didn't wake up," she said, her voice cracking.

"No," Phantom confirmed. "Those things you humans use, guns I think… Masters must have done it. Plasmius never used anything other than his own claws and fangs." He looked to the young woman that cried over the fate of his mother, something he was honestly surprised by. "Valerie." She looked to him, her eyes red and puffy with sparkling lines trailing down her cheeks. "You know about Plasmius now. You know what he looks like. If you see him, you run. As far and as fast as you can. If possible, jump into the sea. He won't be able to follow you there without risking every other merfolk coming at him to kill him."

"What if you're there, too?" she asked, her voice unsteady from the tightness of her throat.

"You run," he repeated sternly. "He will use you to get to me. He will kill you in a heartbeat if he believes for a second that it will give him the upper hand. So if you see him, you run. Even if I am there, especially if I am there, you run."

She wanted to scoff, but just the memory Phantom showed her sent her body into a fearful tremble. Phantom said exiles go insane sometimes, but they mostly return to the ocean to get killed. Plasmius was just psychotic! He went insane before his exile, most likely. Like hell she was going to abandon Phantom against something like that. She'll run all right… to the closest weapon she can get her hands on.

"I think that's enough for tonight," she informed, glancing to the clock. "It's eleven and I'm not even tired enough to sleep. We need a better subject. Something not so upsetting." She got to her feet and browsed over her movies.

"What are you doing?" Phantom inquired, surprised by the sudden change in Valerie's demeanor. He could still tell that she is upset, but if she needs something happier as a distraction, he won't complain.

"Exposing you to human wonder," she replied, pulling a movie off the shelf. "And this is mostly for my amusement." After this conversation, she needs a decent laugh before bed.

**Here is a line!**

"This is how humans see us?" Phantom asked incredulously as the colorful screen portrayed a red-haired mermaid with a green tail dancing around with fish while some red crab sang. He looked to Valerie in shock, ignoring her quiet laughter that shook her whole body. "This?! This is an embarrassment!"

"It's mostly for kids," she managed to say through her giggling.

"We are nowhere near this musical," he grouched, crossing his arms as he leaned against the couch Valerie was stretched across. He found the floor much more comfortable than the itchy fabric. "This has been, what? Twenty minutes? And they sang three times?! No! This is… abhorrent! And they are all the same! The only difference is their colors! Also, fish and crabs do not talk. We are not friends with our food. What do they think we eat? I would have eaten that damn bird the second I got close enough!"

Valerie burst into laughter, holding her ribs as her legs kicked the air. She knew The Little Mermaid would upset Phantom, but this was not what she was expecting. He hasn't stopped ranting the entire time and it was hilarious.

"Okay, okay, I'll put something else on," she coughed as she rolled off the couch, barely avoiding the merman's lap. She stopped the movie and staggered over, her body still shaking with her amusement while Phantom grumbled under his breath. That was a lot funnier than she imagined it would be. "Alright then. How about we try Pirates of the Caribbean?" she suggested, holding up the mentioned movie.

"Pirates? Hmm…" He looked at the cover in thought before nodding. "Very well. I wonder how you humans remember them to be."

"Probably not completely accurate," she replied with a shrug as she switched out the movies. Once the movie was going, she went into her kitchen, well aware of the eyes on her. "I'm getting a drink and snack. Want something?"

"I do not know what you even have," he reminded as he got to his feet and followed after her, the girl singing softly nothing more than background noise to him.

"Well, do you want some water?" she asked, looking at him over the top of her fridge door. "What do merfolk drink, anyway?"

Phantom shrugged. "Blood from our kills, mostly," he answered.

Valerie stared at him blankly, reaching into the fridge then pulling out a shining red can. "Try this," she dared, holding the can over for him to take.

He accepted it, looking over the thin metal curiously. Seeing the tab, he scraped it until his claw caught and pulled it open. The can hissed and let out a multitude of soft pops. The scent made him rear back, but seeing Valerie's expectant face coaxed him to taking a sip of the brown, bubbling liquid. He took one gulp of it then started to cough, holding it back out to her. "What is this?!"

"Coke," she replied, wiping the can before taking her own sip. "We could try something else, you know. There's some bottled tea in here, some milk-"

"From what?" he asked warily.

"From cows."

"Cows?"

"Better than goat milk, if you ask me, and lots better than some of that milk made from nuts and soy beans," she commented, pulling the jug of white liquid from the fridge. "A lot of recipes ask for milk in order to cook them properly. And a lot of things taste better when you add milk to it or when you dump it in milk. Like these!" She picked up a blue package with two dark brown disks open to show a white disk between them. "Oreos! Now this, this is movie food."

Taking one out, she held it to him, but he shook his head. "What is it?"

"Chocolate cookies with cream between them," she explained, popping one of the cookies off then licking the white filling. "Come on. Try one!"

Groaning lowly, he took the next one handed to him, looking over it with a curled lip before throwing it into his mouth and biting down. His face twisted into confusion then thoughtfulness before his brow rose and he gave a faint nod. "Okay, that wasn't bad. What else is there?"

"Sweetheart, you best get ready to be exposed to the world of junk food," she cackled, scooping up a bowl with one hand while throwing a flat brown bag into a metal box.

**Here the Chapter Ends**

**Oh god, she's gonna feed him popcorn… O_o**

**Sorry, this wasn't how I hoped it would go. It got a little serious and dark for a bit, so I had to add in some humor to lighten things up. This is probably one of my longest chapters for this story. I've been trying to keep them short and sweet, but then I really get into it. Seriously, I've been writing scenes out at work.**

**As for the whole 'here is something sad so now we are going to talk about or watch something funny' thing I pulled here, it's a defense thing that my family does. When something bad happens, we try to think of humorous things so we don't dwell on it too much. It's a distraction method, I guess you could say, until we're calm enough to actually handle things without having meltdowns.**

**Anyway, let me know what you guys think! ^^**


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